till we touch the sun
by king.needlemouse
Summary: He never thought everything could fall apart quite like this.
1. desolation

**it's here! it's finally here! it's** **my new multichap that i've been hyping up for months! i'm v excited abt this so hopefully y'all are too :)**

 **be warned: yeah this is a forces au. but i promise it really is v v different from canon, and i hope it's interesting enough to keep everyone excited abt it. tbh it just follows the basic premise of the game and diverges from there.**

 **also uhh i'm gonna give an overall warning that you should really expect violence, blood, and swearing in every chapter ((plus there _will_ be major character death later on,, muahahaha)). but i also will give chapter-specific warnings if they're needed (for example: there's some minor zombie/gory description in this specific chap)**

 **another thing i wanna add! everybody is aged up a lil bit. and ik rn it won't make any sense but at the start of this chapter they're all 17-18, and for the entire rest of the fic everyone is like 19-23ish. only exception is like,, tails ofc. he's about 14 in this.**

 **anyways that's all! enjoy the show!**

* * *

 **I.**

 _desolation (desəˈlāSH(ə)n)_

 _[noun]_

 _a state of complete emptiness or destruction._

* * *

As the sun settled down against the horizon, a milky orange that swirled out into the pale sky like watercolors on a canvas, the small crowd of teenagers began to calm as well. The day seemed to almost sigh in relief as the moon started to reveal itself, from behind the thick curtain of clouds clinging to the cerulean skies.

One hedgehog, his fur ruffled and coarse from going months on end without proper hygiene, huffed tiredly as he leaned against a tree. His golden eyes scanned the field, all his friends still chattering away with each other, some nibbling on the last remnants of birthday cake, some laying in the plush grass as they tried to relax after the adventure they quite literally just finished up with.

As another hedgehog, the birthday boy himself, conversed with an echidna, he began to lock eyes with the other isolated by the tree. Soon the newly-aged eighteen-year-old was able to cut off the chat, carding fingers through his messy blue quills as he approached his friend.

"You headin' home, soon?" Sonic wondered, crossing his arms and eyeing his friend a tad despondently.

The ivory male shrugged, inhaling deeply through his nose. His chest fluttered a bit at how cool and fresh the air felt as it rushed through his nostrils, and he smiled warmly at the way the grass swayed, painted a verdant hue. It was a nice change of pace from the atmosphere he was more adjusted to, the one that always seemed to be filled with smog and flames and destruction.

"Probably should," the psychic replied, unable to stifle the small frown that flashed across his features.

The blue blur narrowed his eyes, glancing down at his shoes. "Uh, y'know, you could always stay just a little while longer. We've always got some extra room back at the workshop."

Silver smiled halfheartedly. "I appreciate the offer, really, and I wish I could." The time-traveler promptly sighed, his gaze a little more empty, "… But I don't have much of a choice. Someone's gotta make sure our future doesn't go to hell, right?"

Sonic puffed out his cheeks in frustration. "It's just… It's not fair. I mean, Chaos, you're a year younger than me! It's too much to put on your shoulders. I just wish…"

"I know. Me too."

The speedster eyed the other for a moment, unsure what to say or whether to do anything. Eventually he opted for an easy smile, and clamped a strong hand on an eggshell shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you, bud."

"I imagine it won't be too long before we cross paths again. The future always seems to get fucked up, between all the demons and mad scientists running around," the psychic grinned.

Sonic managed a snort at that, before jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Gonna say goodbye to the others?"

"Nah," Silver shook his head, "I'm not too good at those. Too emotional for me. Heck, I almost cried a couple hours ago when your past self had to leave."

Emerald eyes shimmered with some hazy concoction of mirth and exhaustion. "Heh, yeah, one hell of a birthday, huh? Alright, then. I'll see you, Silv."

"See you."

The blue blur withdrew a Chaos Emerald from his quills, summoning a spark of energy from it. A small spot in the middle of the air, a few feet away, seemed to warp and twist like raw heat over a smoldering fire, before combusting in a magnificent burst of light. A portal, composed of pure energy that crackled through the air, swelled up before the hedgehogs with an odd gravitation to it. Whatever waited on the other side was too foggy to distinguish.

Silver flashed one last smile at his friend, flicked his wrist in a small wave, and hopped through the portal. It closed behind him, crumbling into itself before disappearing altogether. The space where it once was, was completely restored, as though it were never there.

* * *

As the time-traveling hero felt his feet touch solid ground, and he was met with heat pressing into his fur and a deathly silence hissing around him, he just _knew._

Something was wrong.

Hazel eyes snapped open, analyzing and calculating at a million miles a minute, scanning his surroundings and absorbing all he saw. Looking for small details that could help. Searching for familiar faces that could aid him.

Before him lay a wasteland, a ghost town. He looked to be in some ancient form of Empire City, the pavement torn up and caved in with multiple craters, and skyscrapers on the brink of collapsing. The streets were deserted, dotted with abandoned vehicles that rusted with age, windows and doors broken in all the vacant, dark buildings. The city was quite a marvel, back in Sonic's time, but now it held a much darker essence to it. The skyscrapers loomed over him like beasts waiting to pounce, the atmosphere was clogged with a thick smoke, and—perhaps most unnerving—there was an equally off-putting and alluring source of pure negative Chaos energy, not too far away.

Silver wandered the streets uneasily, his hands surrounded in an unending teal aura, his eyes vigilant. He'd encountered multiple apocalyptic scenarios in the past, but normally there was an apparent enemy always within arm's reach, or at least innocent civilians in danger he could help.

But this city looked like it had been sucked dry of any life it had.

As he continued onward, the strange negative energy in the distance grew to be a heavier presence around him, and he could already feel it hindering his own powers. Strangely enough, the city also looked to be in less wreckage as he approached the source.

Soon enough he rounded a corner to meet a road of eerily identical buildings, all made of cement, holding perfect symmetry in dimensions and aesthetics, lining one large street. It still appeared abandoned by actual life, but this time a few vaguely familiar robots patrolled the sidewalks.

 _(Should've known.)_

And he almost shouted out an exclamation, or chucked a deserted car at one, or did just about anything to provoke them, when he stopped. Piercing speakers, that seemed to be placed around the entire city, crackled and squealed to life, as someone began to talk.

The voice was automated and mechanical (as expected), and blared out, _"Time is: 1500. Commerce and speaking is now permitted for the following sixty minutes."_

Silver watched in horror as nearly a hundred Mobians filed out of the odd buildings, either smothered in injuries, sunken with exhaustion, dizzy with sickness, or some combination of all three. Most of them stumbled around aimlessly, crisscrossing through the thick crowd before running into another Mobian they seemed to recognize. They'd all hug, or cry into each other's arms, or kiss, or trade supplies, or whisper ambiguous things to each other. Occasionally, someone seemed to say something or do something the robots didn't like, and they'd crumble to the ground in agony as a shock collar around their neck would send volts across their body.

Sensing the negative energy now dangerously close by, Silver decided this would be his best chance to reach it and figure out what the hell was going on.

He weaved through the crowd, receiving both dirty and horrified looks. Quite irritatingly, many began to part way for him, which only drew more attention to him.

A cold hand grabbed at his arm, yanking him back. He turned to face the cold eyes of a slightly rusty Egg Pawn. "Citizen, you are not wearing your collar. We will take you to the detention center immediately. Resistance will result in your arrest."

And suddenly there were multiple hands all grabbing at him, several robots chanting that phrase, blaring it into his ears. Silver whipped his head around frantically, the Mobians nearby backing up in fear, more and more droids surrounding him. He couldn't see anything but those unwavering red eyes, millions of them, they were all grabbing at him, they were all…

" _Stop!_ "

An aqua light swallowed the swarm of robots instantaneously, and they all froze in their hectic motions to grab him. The hedgehog screamed out in anguish, throwing his arms out to the side, and immediately all the bots went flying in every which way, crashing into other people, the roads, and the concrete walls of the buildings.

For a moment, everything was deathly silent again. All the Mobians around him looked on with huge, mortified eyes, completely stopped in whatever business they'd been tending to moments earlier.

Promptly, chaos erupted. Everybody scrambled back towards the buildings, pushing and shoving to get back inside, screaming out that he was a maniac, that they swore they had nothing to do with it, and that they just didn't want to face _him_ (whatever that meant) _._ The hazy skies became flooded with red light as sirens screeched at him. Silver only hesitated a moment before breaking out into a run.

Silver focused just on reaching the negative source of energy, just focused on his breath, and the sinking feeling in his chest. The army of metal feet stampeding behind him, the bullets whizzing past his head, the wave after wave of droids he shoved out of the way, did nothing to deter him.

He continued weaving around corners, launching himself over barricades of robots that blocked the roads, taking shortcuts through abandoned convenience stores. His heart slammed against the walls of his chest furiously, his face hot and his breaths heavy as he tore down the streets of Empire City.

And finally, the rows of cement buildings gave way to a large, cleared out area that looked to be a park once—roughly two acres of land. However, all of the ground was cleared out for a pure, concrete courtyard to be lain out. Several watchtowers dotted the perimeter, large troops of more Egg Pawns marching about, patrolling or delivering packages. In the center of it all was a giant hemisphere-shaped building, with obsidian walls and tinted windows. Silver almost felt a little nauseas from the sheer negative Chaos energy he could sense, leaking out of the walls of the structure like a toxin.

The hedgehog shot a fleeting look over his shoulder, his heart seizing at the sight of the swarm of bots all charging straight for him, still droning that damn mantra and firing their weapons.

And with the easy decision to run away from _that_ hellish sight, Silver whipped back around, making a mad dash towards the weird building because _what else did have to lose, anyway?_

By the time he reached the doors, they were already enveloped in blue light, and he was already thrusting his palms forward to send them flying off their hinges. His lungs burned with every breath, the atmosphere doused in venom and flames that ruthlessly tore through his respiratory system as he gasped for air.

When he entered the facility, though, he felt a thousand times worse. It was like the negative energy was corporeal, and it was crawling up his arms and legs, slithering in through his pores like a million needles stabbing into his skin. His vision became spotty, and as he ran through the endless maze of corridors, it felt significantly more draining to call upon his psychokinesis to throw the doors out of his way.

His entire body was practically _screaming_ at him to get away from the horrible energy that sapped at all his strength, but some stupid, possibly suicidal voice in the back of his head urged him onward, murmured to him that he had to keep going, he had to save the world.

Silver pushed past one last set of doors, these feeling particularly more stubborn than the others, and fell to the ground in a wheezing heap, fur clinging to his skin from sweat, stomach lurching in his gut, limbs trembling with fatigue. For a moment, save for his raucous gasps for air, there was a beat of silence to revel in.

Then a sharp laugh rumbled through the room, and ghostly chills trickled down his spine.

"This is the pest that's been giving you all so much trouble?" wondered a voice, that was strangely warped and muffled. It sounded vaguely amused. "… I must say, I'm a tad underwhelmed. I was hoping for more of a challenge; it's been quite boring, lately."

Golden eyes, weary and drained, peered up at the figure that stalked toward him like a lion upon a dying gazelle.

His vision was just barely functioning, but he made out a dark, tall figure, wearing a jagged mask that glimmered silver in the light. Something bright red popped out of his chest, projecting a strange carmine aura around it.

The stranger chuckled darkly, cocking his head in sick pleasure. "Worn out already, boy? Maybe I'll give you a small burst of energy, hm?" The figure knelt down beside the fallen hedgehog, nudging his chin, "The Pawns warned me you could move things without even touching them. That sounds like quite the entertaining spar."

Silver could do nothing but glare disdainfully, though the pain surging through his body probably made it look more like a pathetic pout. It was like he could feel every, tiny nerve and tendon and ligament in him being ripped to _shreds_ all at once.

An icy palm pressed into his sweaty chest, and suddenly a blast of refreshing energy shot into his ribcage, hastily rippling out across his body. The time-traveler's vision cleared up instantly, and while still worn out, he felt like he had the strength to stand again.

Without hesitation, without even a rational thought, Silver narrowed his eyes sharply at his foe. The figure gasped as an aqua glow surrounded him, and with a mere flick of his fingers, he was fired across the room, crashing into the opposite wall many yards away and leaving a crater in his wake.

It was then that the ivory teenager took a moment to assess his surroundings, finally able to think more coherently and feel his powers dance beneath his fingertips. The chamber seemed decently sized, a few extra Egg Pawns stationed around the perimeter. But what quickly caught his eye was the centerpiece of the room.

It looked like a literal black hole, surrounded in a bubble of red mist. As though it were sentient, the black hole seemed to wriggle around in its prison, like it was trying to break free, and devour anything in its path—and Silver had no doubt that it would if the mist were to disappear. It wasn't hard to also deduce that the strange void was the source of the negative energy. He could feel it licking rapaciously at him, clawing at him, slowly sucking away at the small burst of vigor the stranger had granted him.

Back across the room, the figure—who was perhaps a dog of sorts?—stumbled forwards, groaning to himself. " _Dammit…_ "

Silver shakily rose up to his feet, still panting, but able to maintain his composure better.

"Look, man," the hedgehog grunted, "I dunno what the hell is going on, but I'm putting a stop to it. You work for Eggman, don't you?"

The canine froze, then, the red object in his chest pulsing with light. He promptly doubled over with laughter. "You think I serve that buffoon? He is long gone, my friend, and the world now bows to _me._ Soon, you will too."

"I just want answers," Silver said, keeping his voice steady. "Like what that weird ass black hole is, for starters?"

"What I want to know is how you _don't_ know what it is," the other leered, limping forwards, "That _black hole_ is all the leverage I need against you."

The hero frowned. "Well I'm new around here. Mind filling me in?"

A bitter laugh erupted from the darker Mobian. "How much of a fool do you take me for, boy?" He jerked his head off to the right, as though addressing someone else out of sight. "Come here, Blue. Dispose of this _pest_ for me, will you? I'm getting bored of this small talk."

 _Blue?_

Silver snarled, ignoring the way his limbs continued to quiver against his will. "What, give up fighting me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," the canine said, though it was clear he was somewhat weakened, "I just like using my pet. It's fun to watch him tear apart fools like yourself."

There was a loud crumble that resonated through the chamber, then, as a figure landed against the ground from somewhere above. A cloud of dust twirled around the newcomer, masking all but a vague silhouette of a hedgehog, and yet another strange, red gemstone jutting from his chest.

As the hedgehog emerged from the shadows, his eyes were revealed to match the ominous glow of the stone lodged in his chest, enchanted in a carmine haze. His fur was a pallor blue, washed out like a bleached seashell. His face lacked any emotion, and, oh, _fuck,_ if he wasn't standing up, Silver would have thought him a corpse.

The odor of rotting flesh wafted through the room, accompanied with disgustingly pale flesh that was peeled and torn off the Mobian. He sported multiple injuries, all of them decayed and crusty across his lithe form. His fur was patchy and thin. His right arm was replaced by a violet wine prosthetic, forged of a titanium that looked like it was maybe once shone marvelously, but was now rusted, and had various torn wires and fissures running along its surface.

And despite how revolting and zombie-like the hedgehog appeared, there was an unmistakable _look_ to him, a look that made Silver sway and his heart plummet.

" _Sonic?_ "

The canine—the damned coward—off on the other side of the room, stiffened. "How do you…? That's not— _Dammit,_ just kill him already."

Looking as though he were completely entranced, by the void or the other guy or that freaky gem in his chest, Sonic narrowed his eyes at the psychic, and lunged forward.

Silver had fought the blue blur many times before, both on murderous and friendly terms, and this was… Certainly different. He clearly wasn't in his right mind. The speedster's movements were more sluggish, he acted more like a wild animal, and he even used his new, robotic arm occasionally to fire a small missile the other hedgehog's way.

For a while, the time-traveler assumed a defensive position, jumping and rolling out of the way of the various attacks. He needed to figure out a plan. He needed to figure out _what on Mobius_ was happening.

Just barely dodging another spindash, Silver threw his hands up in the air. The pale blue hedgehog bared a feral snarl, stalking forward.

"Look, hey, Sonic?! Calm down, man. I dunno what happened to you, _but—!_ "

A blue blur whipped just past his head, as the ivory hedgehog leapt over to the side, and collided with the floor.

"That's right, my little soldier," the stranger drawled out from the corner, chuckling at the fight. "I want you to destroy him. Throw him into the Null. Let him suffer for an eternity."

The look in Sonic's eyes shifted slightly, and while he still continued to lunge for the psychic, it was clear he had a different purpose. And while Silver wasn't quite sure what the _'Null'_ was, if the way he was being slowly pushed back towards the odd portal thing was any clue, he'd guess that was it.

Silver continued to try and reason. "Sonic! Please! I dunno if you can hear me or not, but I'm your friend! It's _me,_ Silver? C'mon, snap out of it!"

He needed a new plan. While he could have maybe stood a chance against a slightly slower Sonic any other place, this time he was confined in a room, with practically no energy left in him to keep him standing, and no projectiles to use his psychokinesis on. He was pretty fucking screwed, to say the least.

Lost in his thoughts, scrambling for even the essence of a good idea to get himself out of this mess, Silver gasped in shock when the blue blur clenched onto both of his arms, pushing him back against the portal. He could feel it, could feel the cold tendrils of negative energy, teasing the back of his head, mere inches away from him. He tried to use his powers, to push Sonic away, but at this point he couldn't even hold himself up. His vision was already cloudy and distant again.

It felt painful to even strain his vocal chords anymore. "… _Sonic-!_ Please…"

The stranger appeared beside them, arms crossed, cackling from behind his jagged mask. "You imbecile! He is no longer Sonic. He has not been Sonic for the last one hundred years. He is nothing more than my puppet."

" _No!_ "

"Give up, boy!" his foe roared, voice thundering around the room, "I am _Infinite._ I can never lose. And now you will suffer for the rest of your pitiful life, wishing you had never crossed me. You will suffer for an eternity in _Null Space!_ "

Silver watched in a muted horror as Sonic shoved him back into the black hole, the Null Space, and his surroundings instantly faded into complete darkness.

Everything suddenly went staggeringly cold. He could feel the rawness of Chaos energy coursing throughout his body, sending chills across his form. He struggled to breathe for a moment, blinking rapidly to adjust to the darkness and choking on the sudden drop in oxygen levels. There was barely any at all in the air anymore, he knew, yet the Chaos energy kept him invigorated and his heart pumping.

The psychic held a tentative hand to his face, marveling at the intense glow of the rune on his glove that was now pulsating with energy. Leaning his head back, Silver exhaled deeply, shuddering as tingles raced across his body and he felt himself sink deeper into the raw power all around him.

He could let it consume him. It'd be so easy. He could feel it throbbing against his skin, clawing at him, begging him to give in and let it take him, swallow him whole. It whined pitifully for him, because it knew he was full of Chaos energy, and he knew how hungry the Null must be.

 _It'd be so easy. It'd be so easy. It'd be so—_

Wait.

Silver gasped, awoken from his strange trance by a sensation akin to ice water getting dumped over his body, his eyes snapping open. He felt the dark energy withdraw in that moment, wary and surprised, calculating.

He had to—no, fuck. He needed to _do_ something. He had to go back, he had to save everyone, he had to stop this from happening (whatever _this_ even was).

The darkness was gnawing at him now, growing restless, and he just—he needed to get _out._ He couldn't let himself become overcome by this. He had an entire world relying on him.

And _yet._ How. _How_ was he—? He couldn't—he couldn't _breathe,_ he had to get out, he— the Chaos—

The _Chaos._

Silver could feel the pressure on his ribcage, his blood thickening, his vision fleeting, and he pushed past all of it. He clawed into the deepest depths of himself, pulled out any small pieces of positive energy left in his system, despite the way the Null was devouring his existence.

 _(He just needed to go back to the time. The time where he could stop all of this from happening. If he could go back, then he could save everyone. He just, he just needed enough energy to—)_

Something hot spread across his chest, devoured his entire form, and the darkness was consumed by a burning white light.

* * *

 **heck i apologize in advance if the time-travel stuff is confusing but uh,,,,,**

 **that first bit was right after generations during sonic's bday (aka theyre all 18ish), and silver jumped just over 100 years into the future for the remainder of it. but as i said earlier everything else takes place just a couple years after generations, when they're all in their early 20's.**

 **((and if it wasn't clear the 'red thing in sonic's chest' ;) was what kept him alive the past 100 years & is the reason he looks like a literal zombie))**

 **aaanyways hope you enjoyed! i'm gonna try to start with weekly updates, but i have a feeling that'll be pushed up to biweekly updates once school starts up :/**

 **r &r! i'm always wanting to improve my writing :))**


	2. shattered

**here's chapter 2! now the plot is _really_ getting rolling. it's also the longest one i've written yet so you're welcome :)**

 **also i just wanna make a lil sidenote! in this fic's canon blaze and silver do _not_ remember each other bc of '06. and blaze isn't gonna appear in this at all, sorry. she's busy with her Princess Of Another Dimension Business. heck ok just wanted to clear that up !**

 **no major chapter warnings! but ofc beware of typical swearing/violence/blood**

* * *

 **II.**

 _shattered (SHadərd)_

 _[adjective]_

 _broken into many pieces._

 _(of something abstract) damaged or destroyed._

* * *

"Can anyone read me?"

The only response was the crackled hiss of the walkie-talkie.

"Fuck, come on guys. I can't—I need you here, we need you."

Silence pervaded the room above her helpless murmurs into the communicator. It was painful.

"… Please. Say anything."

Nothing.

"I—" Her fists clenched tighter around the device, surely turning her knuckles white beneath her satin gloves. She ground her teeth together, scrunching her eyes closed against the hot, frustrated tears trying to burst through. With an exasperated sob, she chucked the walkie-talkie across the room, watching it collide into the wall and fall to the ground in pieces. " _Fuck._ " She drew her hands to her head, clawing her fingers into her scalp and shaking her head. "Fuck fuck _fuck—_ "

"Woah, uh, Rouge?" A voice cut through the air, sturdy and gravelly and carrying a signature Jersey twang. A large hand clasped—surprisingly—gently on her shoulder, stilling her tremors just slightly. The bat wiped hastily at her face, and stiffened at the touch. "You alright?"

The agent hissed through her teeth. " _Fine,_ " she gritted out, her teal eyes settling forlornly on the shattered communicator. She roughly shook the hand from her shoulder, crossing her arms and turning slightly to face the towering male.

The crocodile's gaze softened upon getting a better look at her features. Her makeup was all smeared and clumpy and damp, her skin was unnaturally pale, and her face was sunken with exhaustion (although it was always like that—she hardly ever got sleep nowadays).

"You sure don't look _'fine'_ to me," Vector replied, placing his hands on his hips. He sighed wearily. He hadn't exactly gotten much sleep, lately, either. "Mind explainin' why exactly the walkie-talkie is on the other side of the room in pieces?"

"They—" Rouge squeaked, her voice breaking as another miserable sob tried to slip out. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath and balling up her fists extra tight. This was stupid. She was just being stupid. _Stop being a baby._ "… I haven't heard anything from Knuckles and Amy since last night. It's dead silent on their end."

Vector sighed. "That could be—"

"They were supposed to check in over an hour ago!" she snapped, shaking slightly more. "They could be captured right now, maybe they were ambushed in their sleep, or they got chased by something, or, or-!"

Two hands eased onto her shoulders, grounding her. " _Chaos,_ Rouge, just—take a deep breath, alright? I'm sure they're fine. Those two are more than capable of handling themselves."

Rouge pulled her lips into a thin line. Her eyes were simmering with something wild and hot. "We thought Sonic and Tails could handle themselves, didn't we?"

And, okay, ouch. The croc reeled back, a bit of the sympathy in his gaze becoming curtained by an equally icy stare.

"We'll find them."

A wet, hysterical laugh spilled out of her throat. "What, their _corpses?_ "

"What the _hell,_ Rouge?" Vector snarled, "Chaos, I thought you were Shadow's friend, I thought—I thought _you've_ been the one telling us all it'll be alright. Tellin' _Shadow_ we'll find them."

Her twisted smile fell. "Well, shit, sorry for not trying to convince everyone that everything's just sunshine and rainbows. Sorry for being a little _realistic._ "

The reptile huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose and lowering his tone. "C'mon, Rouge, that's not—"

"Then what the hell do you want from me?" she sobbed, throwing her hands out to her sides and fighting valiantly against more tears. "I'm trying, Vec, I'm fucking _trying._ But Shadow's hardly around anymore and I can still hear Vanilla crying herself to sleep and Sonic and Tails are good as dead and now _Knuckles and Amy_ are— _are…_ "

The agent collapsed, falling into the larger male and weeping into his chest. Vector frowned uneasily, patting her back and allowing her to lean into him. For a while they just stood there, in each other's arms, listening to their own breaths.

"Y'know, he's no mechanic, but I think Espio made a little progress on Omega. Wanna go see?" the detective mumbled, rubbing easy circles into her back.

She sniffled, and pushed off of him, giving a blasé shrug like she hadn't just been crying. "… Sure."

* * *

It was almost kind of beautiful.

The way the landscape looked so unblemished, so pristine. It was a perfect blanket of thick snow sprawled out for miles across the flatlands, and beyond the violent blizzard, he could almost make out clear blue skies.

He could also make out the indistinct outlines of a settlement, perhaps a mile off, slightly skewed to the left. A hazy pillar of smoke rose from the encampment before getting lost in the downpour of snowflakes and hail. The thought of curling up beside a fire right now was beyond tempting, and he found himself quickening his pace despite the fatigue that dragged down his bones.

And there was this distant voice in the back of his head, murmuring to him to keep going, that he couldn't be selfish now, he had to keep looking.

But he'd been walking for so long, and his muscles ached, and his stomach was nipping at his insides from hunger. Maybe just a small break, he told himself. There was no point looking for the emeralds now, when he could hardly stand up straight anymore.

The hedgehog trudged over to the settlement finally, shuddering uncontrollably and gripping tight onto his cloak. It hardly provided any relief from the bitter cold, but it was all he had.

He found himself stumbling down a small slope into a makeshift town of sorts, that used walls of ice as a sort of protection from the harsh winds. Dotting the clearing were igloos, small but cozy looking. Columns of smoke wisped out of the tops of the structures, no doubt belonging to soothing flames inside. A few humans and mobians alike circled around a large bonfire in the center of the settlement, faces and bodies hidden beneath their thick parkas.

They spotted him quickly, and two of the larger beings approached him warily, one of them wielding a spear. As they neared, it was easier to make out the face of a gruff old man, his face wrinkled and grouchy, and a polar bear, more youthful but equally irritable.

"What is your business here, stranger?" the human asked. His face looked like it was constantly set like that, sagging down with an eternal scowl. The mustache he fashioned was surprisingly groomed, although it was still wiry and frizzy.

The bear beside the elder gripped his spear tighter, icy blue eyes regarding the cloaked stranger with almost a hint of terror.

"You aren't serving Egg—Erm, _King_ Eggman, are you?" the polar bear wondered, his voice unexpectedly gentle. "Because I-I swear, we sent our shipment of supplies out, you don't need to attack us, we learned our lesson, we just—we, um—"

The human snarled at his companion. "Have you no humility, Ursa? _Gaia,_ you must show some ferocity! Don't let this stranger see through you."

Holding up a hand in peace, the newcomer dropped the hood to reveal his face. The man narrowed his eyes even more, and the bear only looked bemused.

"Believe me, I don't serve Eggman. In fact, I'm with the Resistance. I'll get out of your hair as soon as possible, I just need some time to rest before I'll be on my way."

Clearly, this struck a chord with the old man, whose face screwed up into something spiteful. "Oh, Gaia, the _Resistance?!_ No, I'm afraid you will not be allowed to stay here. The last thing we need is to be associated with _you_ folk. We're already on thin ice with the Empire."

The hedgehog's shoulders sagged visibly. "Really, I don't need anything at all from you, except a bed and some food. I'll be gone again before morning."

"I said, _no,_ " the man snapped. "Ursa, escort this heathen away from our encampment. I don't want any more trouble."

The bear hesitated a moment, casting a pitiful look towards the newcomer. "Chief, the blizzard is unbearable right now. We'd be killing him by sending him out there."

"Well good, maybe he deserves it."

"Chief!" the polar bear, Ursa, cried. "You can't be serious. And I know you don't want to be involved in the war, but…" he smiled tentatively at the hedgehog, "Surely it can't do any harm by helping this guy out just a little, right?"

The Chief rolled his eyes. "You won't ever drop this, will you?" The human glowered a few more seconds at his companion, before finally conceding. "... Alright, fine, he can stay in _your_ igloo. But I don't want to see him anywhere else, and he better be gone before dawn."

Ursa smiled wide at the man, before turning to the hedgehog. "Yeah, 'course."

With that, the polar bear eagerly led the newcomer back to his igloo, which was lodged a few dozen meters away in a small corner of the walled-in area. As soon as they entered, they were instantly met with a tender warmth, wafting in from the center of the structure from a small fire. A few sacks of what looked like cloth padded with fur were placed around the semi-spherical building, assumedly as makeshift bedding. A female polar bear, somewhere in her late twenties like Ursa, was nuzzled asleep in one.

The hefty male pulled down the hood of his parka, shuffling up to a pot draped over the flames as he continued stirring whatever was in it. The hedgehog wasn't sure what, but its aroma was savory and rich, and it tickled his nose alluringly.

"Thank you," the stranger murmured, as he took a seat on one of the sacks of cloth. "Really. I haven't taken any shelter or eaten a real meal in days."

Ursa smiled, lifting out the ladle to pour some of the contents into a smaller bowl, passing it down to the visitor. "It's no problem, really. And sorry about Chief, he's… He's been pretty shaken up since everything started. Lost his kid when our town got infiltrated a couple weeks ago." The bear served his own bowl before sitting down, himself. He eyed the contents with a distant, almost poignant gaze. "He hasn't been the same, since."

The hedgehog frowned, slightly, trying to ignore the way his heart ached at that.

 _(Sounds familiar.)_

Instead, he transfixed on the dish he cradled in his lap, watching hungrily as steam twirled up from it. It appeared to be some sort of gumbo or stew, and it held a particularly strong fishy smell to it. He wasn't the biggest fan of fish, admittedly, but as he took his first bite he almost shuddered at the way it melted into his mouth. Though maybe that was just his raw hunger speaking.

He peered up at the third occupant of the room, who was currently fast asleep. "Who's she?"

The bear looked up at her as well, an adoring haze in his eyes. The hedgehog swallowed thickly against another painful pang in his heart.

"She's my wife."

 _Ouch. Ouch. Ouch._

"That's nice," he said quickly, already feeling the anxiety swelling up in his chest, rising up his throat like bile. "This stew is good. Thank you, again."

Ursa's smile faltered a little. "Ah, it's no problem. Um, do you…? Do you have anyone? A significant other?"

He was clenching his bowl so tightly he could almost see cracks beginning to form.

"I _did._ "

The larger male sunk a little. "Oh! I… Sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine," the hedgehog gritted, but it _wasn't._ He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a long, deep breath.

Sometimes if he thought hard enough, he could still see him. With his messy bed-head quills, his sloppy smile. The small gestures he'd make, like linking their pinky fingers together, or rubbing circles into his palms. If he thought really hard, he could still hear his laugh. So light and joyful. He could see his eyes, too. His gorgeous, vibrant, emerald eyes.

Their wedding would have been beautiful.

"Sir? Mr. Hedgehog? Um," Ursa said, as the newcomer fell back into reality, and peeled his eyes open. "You have a name?"

He really _shouldn't,_ revealing his identity could compromise the mission, but he was so damned tired, and he missed all his friends so badly. "It's Shadow."

The corners of the bear's eyes crinkled as he grinned again. "That's a nice name. Um, but… Really, I'm sorry to hear that. And I, uh… If you need anything—"

"Thank you, Ursa," the agent murmured, leaning his head against the cool wall.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

Shadow finished the rest of his gumbo, before placing the ceramic down and slowly sliding down to bundle up in the cloth. "I hope you don't mind me resting here a little bit. I'll leave in a few hours."

Ursa looked a little shocked. "Oh! Uh, yeah, that's fine. Stay as long as you need."

"Thank you."

Silence fell over the igloo for a small while, and the striped hedgehog could start to feel the exhaustion from trudging through miles of a frozen wasteland creeping up on him. His muscles still pulsed with fatigue, and his eyes burned from staying open.

"Um, Shadow?" Ursa piped up again, after a couple minutes. "I just wanna say, uh. Thanks. For everything you do. I mean, my Chief just wants us to do what the Empire tells us, 'cause he doesn't want anyone else to get hurt. But, it's real brave, what you're doing. I hope you guys win this stupid war. For everyone."

For the first time in a long time, Shadow smiled. "I hope we win, too."

Shadow hadn't dreamt of anything in a while. His sleep was usually filled with empty black space and the vague echoes of haunting screams.

But tonight, he dreamt of sparkling emerald eyes and soft sapphire fur.

* * *

The apple felt rotten in his hands.

It felt warm and gooey and toxic, like it was burning away the threads of his gloves. He could almost hear the hiss of it searing into the material, more intense than even the sun's rays beating down on him in waves of heat, or the stagnant air that pressed into his fur and drenched him in sweat.

 _Six months. It'd already been six months. Yet every day he just felt more revolted by himself._

The first bite he had taken was sweet and juicy and it almost made his chest flutter with familiarity. But then that fucking voice in his head started talking again, and now all he could focus on was the repulsive, bitter flavor lingering on his tongue. His vision was a little hazy, from the heat maybe, or the sleep deprivation. Whatever it was, he could barely keep his eyes open. The apple looked vile and putrid as he squinted at it.

 _(It should have been you. It should have been you. It should have been you.)_

With a pained grunt, he chucked the fruit away, watching dully as it landed back on the ground and tumbled through the dirt. He felt this brief glimmer of hope as he watched it roll further away from him, that maybe the voice would go with it.

 _(Coward. Weak. Murderer.)_

But the voice still wouldn't shut up.

He groaned exasperatedly, leaning forward a little and driving the heels of his palms into his temples. His head was pounding, and the heat felt like it was blistering his skin. Everything was so loud.

 _(All your fault. All your fault. All your fault.)_

And the voice still wouldn't _fucking_ shut up.

A sob was torn from his throat, and he flinched at how pathetic it sounded. He pressed his lips together tightly, silently trembling.

His backpack felt like lead, weighing him down and burning into his back. His shoes and gloves felt too tight on him. His lungs felt like they were dysfunctional, like they couldn't fill with any air at all. It was all so hot, so loud. Everything was throbbing.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

 _(All your fault. All your fault. All your fault.)_

* * *

Gadget's lungs were on fire. And as much as his body was screaming at him to just take a few gasps of breath and relax, he knew he couldn't. Because then they would hear him.

So instead, he had to settle with silently suffering, taking small gulps of air and stifling the whimpers that crawled up his throat as he swallowed a thick knot lodged in it.

He pressed his back to the cool wall, and almost just sunk into it. It was a nice relief from the ruthless heat. But raw fear was slithering all around his body in a bone-chilling way, keeping him alert and stiff and too terrified to even move a muscle. He could hear the clanks of multiple steel boots stomping around the ruins of the building, and each step made him flinch.

He thought briefly to himself that this might just be the worst day of his life.

 _(No, that was a few months ago. When_ he _went missing.)_

The wolf's nose twitched. His muzzle was getting itchy from the snot dribbling down. He had this intense urge to wipe it off with his wrist, but it was greatly overpowered by the terror rocketing throughout his mind that yelled at him, _don't move._

His eyes burned too, but that was more manageable. Dried up tears weren't too irritating. What really bothered him was the blood caked in his fur, thick and still a little damp. Physically, he wanted nothing more than to take a shower and _get it off,_ because it felt so gross and sticky and he could already feel nausea churning in his stomach.

Psychologically, well. He may have lost the only thing left to call a home, even if it was just one of the last intact dorm rooms on his campus. And he also may have just had to watch those freaky robots kill all his friends, te _ar them to shreds, splatter their blood on his chest, rip the screams right from their throats—_

No. No. Breathe.

He was fine.

Perfectly, totally, fine.

 _(It wasn't like they'd grown on him over these past months. Given him some sanity in this chaos. Almost made him forget he didn't have_ him _anymore.)_

Nope. He was fine.

His eyes started to burn a little more and feel a little wet. He quickly blinked the sensation away.

A few robotic beeps echoed around the area, and more shuffling of metal could be heard. They sounded fairly close by now, and it sent Gadget's heart rate through the fucking roof. He started to shuffle a bit away from them, though the process was painfully slow. His boots were too big and clunky, it was hard _not_ to make any noise with them.

At this point he could hear his heartbeat thrumming in his ears, and it almost physically hurt his chest from how hard it was pounding against it.

And then a blob of orange flanked his left vision, and he was flailing forward and yelping and falling and, shit, suddenly he was laying on the concrete.

The robot was glaring down at him with its bright blue optics, its stocky orange body that was almost goofy in design taking nothing away from how fucking creepy the thing was. It was definitely the smile. That smile was scary as _shit._

Its speakers were already crackling to life, ready to no doubt announce that it had found him to its little friends, but the wolf was already scrambling back onto his feet and breaking into a run.

He _knew_ Westopolis. He knew it like the back of his hand. He'd lived here his whole life. And, logically, he knew that right now, he needed to be using this to his advantage so he could easily get away and find a hiding spot where the creepy robots wouldn't find him.

And yet, all that was running through his mind was _shit shit shit shit shit—_

It wasn't long before his sides were already cramping, and his throat was consumed in this agonizing blaze of pain from wheezing so hard. He thought vaguely he could feel more tears on his cheeks, but at this point everything was sort of numbed by the indescribable horror that was suffocating him like ice water.

Chaos, his sides were really cramping up. So bad he was sort of awkwardly tilted now in a way that probably made him look like an idiot as he sprinted down the streets of Westopolis—although it wasn't like there was anyone else around to observe. He wasn't built for this. Gadget the Wolf was _not_ athletic. He was the _opposite_ of athletic, if anything. For fuck's sake, he was majoring in _medicine._

And on top of dealing with the cramps, and the burning throat, he had to juggle being hyper-fixated on the road. It was covered in debris and glass, some streets being completely blockaded by collapsed buildings. The last thing he needed was to step on a big shard of broken glass, when he was currently running for his life.

Eventually he reached the outskirts of the city, and he couldn't really hear the stampeding of metal behind him anymore. If he hadn't lost them already, they were at least a ways behind and it wouldn't be long before he shook them off.

The canine soon reached a sandy opening, complete with patchy, dried up grass and a crumbling highway that led out to the middle of nowhere. He continued his running, but slowed his pace a bit.

Noticing some foliage off to the left, he figured maybe he better cut through there just to ensure he had lost the pack of evil robots.

Gadget shoved through the thick flora, grunting at the small scrapes he received from all the thorns and branches that brushed against him. It didn't bother him too much though. There was an undeniable flutter of relief he felt as he reached the other side, optimism filling his mind at the thought of finally being _safe._

And that's when he found himself staring right into the barrel of a gun.

* * *

He stirred at the sound of gargling and choking sounds.

Shadow could hear the whirrs and hisses of machinery and metal working, too, which immediately made him go rigid.

He continued his façade of sleep, but cracked open an eye to get an idea of what in the _hell_ was even happening. Unfortunately, it was still very dark, so he could hardly see anything, let alone through a squinted eye.

Groggily, the hedgehog racked his mind for answers to where he was and how he got here, but for a long while he drew a blank. He was looking for the emeralds, wasn't he…?

And suddenly he was hit full force with a tsunami of memories.

 _Holoska. Cold. Town. Ursa. Stew._

Oh.

As his vision gradually adjusted, Shadow was able to vaguely make out the outlines of, _of course,_ fucking Egg Pawns. There were only three in here, but if he sprung up into action now, one of them would surely sound the alarm before he could destroy them all. There were always more of them.

So he bided his time. Kept his breathing steady, tried to keep still. Studied them.

The gagging noises were still occurring, and it was then that Shadow realized it must be Ursa or his wife. If he looked hard enough, he could see a still body across the igloo from him, definitely sitting in a puddle of _something,_ and, _fuck,_ he did not need to envision what it was. He was pretty sure that was the wife.

(Which meant he only had a little time left before Ursa was killed too.)

Something primal shifted in his gut at that thought, and the ebony male found himself leaping up from his position, tackling down the nearest Egg Pawn in an instant.

Chaos promptly erupted.

A shower of bullets fired around the small igloo haphazardly, as the Egg Pawn he grabbed at swung its arm cannon around frantically. Its pals were also caught out of their element, and began firing wildly in his general direction. Vague pain registered in his mind at one point, as he was sure a bullet or two had nicked his side, but his adrenaline was whipping through his blood stream so fast he barely noticed.

 _"Enemy detected! Enemy detect—"_ they all blared out, but the one in his hold was cut off as soon as he got a better grip around its neck joint, and slammed its metal skull straight into the icy wall.

Quick on his feet, Shadow lunged straight for the second one, this time digging his fingers deep into the crook of its neck, before tearing its head right off. He was sure to keep this one between him and the final bot, as a sort of shield from the hail of bullets currently firing at him.

As the steel body went limp in his arms, the striped agent dove to the ground, snagging the ankles of the final Pawn and yanking hard, so it fell right on its face. The robot flailed manically, before he drove his elbow into the back of its head, and it fell still.

Silence draped over the igloo once more, sans Shadow's heavy gasps for breath.

After taking a moment to recuperate, the hedgehog wobbled onto his feet again, hissing as he clenched his left side, where one bullet was currently lodged and another had grazed him. He made a small grunt of pain as he wriggled the shell out, squeezing the wound tensely.

He turned to face the wife first, careful not to step in the puddle of her blood. It all seemed to waterfall out of the side of her head. Her eyes were wide open, as though once briefly in peril, but now they were glossy and dim. Shadow leaned forward, gingerly closing her eyelids.

He didn't have much more time to dawdle. He needed to help Ursa up and get them the hell out of here. There were definitely more Egg Pawns waiting outside for them.

(He was almost a little grateful he hadn't met his wife. He didn't need that on his conscious. It was better that he never knew her.)

And then the agent turned to the other polar bear, and nearly gagged.

Ursa's eyes looked like they were bulging out of his skull. His lips were a sickly purple, and the skin that could be seen beneath his ivory fur was paler than a ghost. There were dark imprints of fingers bruised around his throat, like the damn robots had strangled him to death.

The bear wasn't moving. His eyes were just as empty as his love's.

Shadow stumbled forwards, his legs suddenly feeling like spaghetti as the full weight of the situation dawned on him.

This was all his fault. The bots were no doubt here for him, and he'd led them all straight here, to kill innocents who didn't even want to be involved. Their blood was on his hands. If he hadn't been so fucking selfish, if he'd steered clear of this settlement, then maybe they would've woken up again this morning, and all greeted each other, and had some more fish stew together.

His head was spinning. He could already taste the bile on the back of his tongue.

Just as quickly as the guilt had consumed him, the rage had come even more ravenously, pulling him under and drowning any coherent thoughts left.

Shadow belted out a cry, and charged out of the igloo, met with the eerie stares of nearly a hundred more Egg Pawns.

He never hesitated, just charged right forwards, lunging at robot after robot, tearing them apart. He could see more emerging from the igloos, could see the blood staining their disgusting metal claws. They were all swarming around him, firing their bullets and throwing their steel punches, but he couldn't register the pain any more.

All he could feel was pure wrath.

The hedgehog's mind was reeling. His thoughts were getting jumbled up, and his vision was spotty with visions of the past. He couldn't tell where he was anymore, just that _he needed to stop them. They took away what he loved. They deserved to die._

A frail smile would flash across his mind, with soft blue eyes and golden hair and carmine splashed across her gown.

A reaching hand, too far away, emerald eyes gazing longingly, emptily, as cobalt fur became stained in red.

Hundreds of faces, too much blood, drowning them all, killing them all. He couldn't save them in time. He was losing them all. They were too out of reach.

And then it all became still. His limbs felt like lead, dragging him down, and the world tilted sideways. He could feel a prick of something lodged in his shoulder, like a needle, but he couldn't figure out what because his mind was suddenly to muddled to string together a single articulate thought.

He glanced at his shoulder sluggishly, eyeing the dart in utter confusion, unable to figure out what it was or how it had gotten there. Moments later he fell to the ground in a limp heap, his head too fuzzy and his body too heavy to do much else of anything. He could see the orange bodies swarming around him, eyeing him with their piercing blue optics, grabbing at him with their cold hands.

His head was pounding, and it physically hurt to keep his eyes open any longer, to try and process what was happening.

He succumbed to the darkness, and everything melted away.

* * *

 **an alternative title for this fic is: Everybody Is Sad And Everything Sucks**

 **((also muahahaha :))) what was that little scene in the middle with the apple and the sadness, you may be asking? you'll have to wait and see!))**


	3. rekindle

**here's a piping hot chapter three, fresh outta the oven! tbh i'm not 100% happy with this chapter but. i've already edited it too much and i just had to post it and move on ig.**

 **chapter warning for minor death mentions**

* * *

 **III.**

 _rekindle (rēˈkind(ə)l)_

 _[verb]_

 _to revive (something that has been lost)._

* * *

Amy groaned wearily up at the ruthless sun, beads of sweat dragging down her face; her cheeks were flushed from the heat, and her shoulders were probably well beyond sunburned by now. The shady tree canopies above did little to shelter her from the harsh daylight, and while she appreciated the little relief it did provide, she still found the heat to be miserable.

The strawberry colored hedgehog leaned back against the towering tree trunk behind her, sighing dreamily as she felt some of the tension slip away from her strained back muscles. She let her eyes flutter shut for a moment, trying to relish in the moment of ease.

"C'mon, Amy, it's not that hard. Sit up, let's try again."

She peeled open her jade orbs with subdued indignation. "We've been _trying_ for the past _hour._ I think it's time to call it quits."

Across from her, the echidna's reserved look slipped into a frown. "You're just thinking too hard about it. You start focusing on the energy, but then you _over-think_ and get too tense. You just need to relax."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on our _actual_ mission? We still haven't found the Master Emerald," the girl said in place of an actual reply, glaring pointedly at him.

"We aren't supposed to check in with Rouge for another fifteen minutes or so. It's still early in the day. We have time."

Amy sagged a little against the tree, puffing out a breath of air in exhaustion. " _Please,_ Knuckles, I'm tired."

The guardian's eyes softened a little, and he scooted forward, the damp soil beneath his legs staining his crimson fur. "It shouldn't be tiring if you just relax—actually, soon it'll come so natural to you it'll feel invigorating. C'mon, if you want me to train you, you need to master this first. Just—Just try one more time."

She sighed, but straightened her posture and criss-crossed her legs again in resignation.

Closing her eyes, the bubblegum warrior exhaled deeply through her mouth, attempting to lower her heart rate again. She tried blocking out any background noise—the distant chatters of the woodland critters, the gentle bristling of the trees in the wind, the trickling of a stream nearby—and honed her senses in on the feel of her chest rising and falling, and the sound of oxygen rushing in and out of her airways. She was able to let go of some of the tightness in her muscles, as she felt herself sink a little into the earth beneath her and become more grounded.

Vaguely, Amy could feel one of the large mitts of the echidna press into her back, steady and strong, and the other ease onto her stomach, light and gentle.

"There you go," Knuckles murmured into her ears, "Just breathe."

The hedgehog inhaled again through her mouth, feeling her lungs fill up, and exhaled through her nostrils, feeling it all glide out of her.

After moment, the carmine hero continued, "I'm gonna give you a little burst of energy again. I just want you to focus on that energy, just feel it. Don't try to interact with it yet, just let it do the work."

Amy straightened a little in anticipation, expecting a heavy push. She was surprised when just a small needle of energy slipped into her chest, though, settling for a moment in the pit of her stomach before expanding out and trickling across her body. She took another breath, her chest tickling a bit from the Chaos that wormed around inside of her. It felt warm and cautious, as though unsure of how to interact with her. As she exhaled again, she tried to let go of everything else, letting the Chaos merge with her subconscious. It did so tentatively.

"Good, good. Now you just need to open up your mind a little. Feel the energy all around us, in every living thing, thriving and breathing. Just… Take it slow. Ease into it," Knuckles paused. "And _—when you're ready—_ try to focus some into the palms of your hands."

She hesitated for a second, then let the small bit of Chaos within her go, seeping steadily from her very pores and mingling with the energy in the air surrounding her. She could feel it, almost see it beneath her closed eyes, permeating through the air and pouring back into her with every breath.

And as she let herself go a little more, she could feel it's presence even further away, heavier and thicker in the air. It ran along with the nutrients that traveled across plant stalks, and weaved through the fur of little rodents that roamed the woods. It radiated across the planet alongside the sun's rays, a forever present cloud of energy that was everywhere all at once. It was so powerful, and she could feel it pressing against her, waiting for the moment when her soul died and truly became one with the Chaos as well.

The Chaos was everywhere. Her head started to pound as she submerged herself deeper, forgetting the simple things like swallowing, like breathing, like living. Discarded them. They were distractions. She could feel the Chaos burning into her skin, tugging at her very soul, wanting her to just lose herself, to lose everything, to—

"…Hey, Amy, _Amy!_ "

The hedgehog gasped for breath, falling back as her eyes snapped open in horror. Sensations like feeling and hearing came back in pieces, and for a while everything was too blurry, too muffled, too numb. For a few moments, she just sat there, blinking rapidly and heaving her labored breaths. There was a large blob of red right in front of her, but it took a while for her mind to catch up and process what it was.

"—Shit, are you-? Are you alright? Just—Just breathe, okay? Deep breaths. In and out."

 _Knuckles,_ she heard dimly from the back of her head. She was with Knuckles. In the woods. It was early morning. The sun was out. It was hot.

She tried to find words, but her tongue was cotton and her throat wouldn't work right. Her friend eyed her worriedly, rubbing her arm in comfort. Amy leaned into the touch tiredly.

"Don't talk, just breathe," he told her, violet eyes pooling with concern.

She nodded—at least, she thought she did. Her strength was still struggling to come back to her.

"I told you take it slow. You were processing it all too fast, it was too much for you," Knuckles said, accusingly, although he really just sounded more sympathetic than mad.

The bubblegum girl swallowed thickly, startled at how dry her throat suddenly felt.

And as she relaxed, the jittery sensation tugging at her gut began to dissipate. The echidna never left her side as her muscles turned to jelly, and the last remnants of Chaos filtered out of her system. He was here. Knuckles had always been here for her—especially since the war started, and he started training her. They _had_ to be there for each other; nobody else could.

They sat in a deep silence for a few minutes, as Amy's breathing started to return back to normal, and Knuckles held her comfortingly. Her head still pounded, and she found it surprisingly helpful to stare into his gentle gaze to ease the pain. It was strangely calming, to just know that he wouldn't leave her side.

After a while, she tried working her jaw, and spoke when she felt she could. "… So, can I take that break now?"

He chuckled. "Yeah."

They stared at each other a little longer, though, neither willing to withdraw from how strangely close they were to each other.

And she wasn't really sure what it was, but Amy felt this new feeling stirring in her chest, light and fluttery yet so heavy and longing. She found herself unable to object when he started to lean in closer and their lips locked into place.

It… It felt _good._ She could feel his body heat, pressing against her, his hands gentle as they slithered around her arms and gripped her lightly. She moaned a little into his mouth, her head going fuzzy from the torrent of dopamine pumping through her body. His lips were surprisingly soft, if not a little dry, and they worked slowly at hers.

But then he pulled away in a hasty motion, and she slowly opened her eyes again in a hazy confusion. And then she snapped back into reality, and withdrew in shock, jade orbs wide and cheeks hot from embarrassment.

"Oh," she stammered, "Oh, I didn't, uh—"

Knuckles looked equally flustered, and he scooted further away. "I, yeah, um…"

"It was just…" she floundered helplessly for some sort of reasoning. _Anything._ "… Just heat of the moment. W-We're just really tired, and, um, it just. Happened."

"… Right."

"Right."

The awkwardness was corporeal, and it was suffocating.

After a moment, Knuckles scrambled onto his feet. "Well. Um. How about we just call Rouge, and—"

He stopped, freezing up and narrowing his eyes.

Amy frowned, standing up as well. "… And, _what?_ Knuckles, what is it?"

In response, he put his hand to his lips, and beckoned vaguely in the direction ahead of him.

She folded her ears back in apprehension, turning to face that way. She couldn't see anything. And she almost started to speak again, when the distant hum of revving motors filled her ears, and her heart dropped a little. " _Oh._ "

Her heart dropped even more to hear even an additional buzzing from a second source, up in the sky. The noise was becoming increasingly intense as the unseen foes approached.

Forgetting their camp supplies, their walkie-talkies, and the Chaos meditations, Knuckles grabbed Amy's hand and _ran._

* * *

Despite the throbbing pain all around him, despite the _stupid_ apple that seemed to mock him from across the clearing, he felt himself freeze up and his heart stop upon hearing movement in the foliage off to the right.

Without hesitation he picked up the wispon by his feet, springing up off the log he sat on and making his way to the thick wall of underbrush. Whatever was in it was moving fast, and made no effort to muffle the noise of snapping branches and ruffling leaves that trailed behind it. He aimed the weapon, shaped like a bulky pistol that was painted a fiery red, and poised his finger over the trigger.

For a moment he almost thought maybe it was just some animal roaming about, that he was being foolish. And then a red mobian leapt out, frazzled and frantic, and stopped just before the weapon that was conveniently pointed right at his face.

It was a wolf, tall and lanky and relatively young. He fashioned a pair of glasses, large and rectangular, loosely fit on his muzzle; one of the frames was fractured. The canine also wore some hefty, sand green boots, and gloves of the same color. There was a tan sash and belt strapped around his torso, like he was some sort of rebel soldier from those old movies.

He mused to himself that the guy probably _was_ one, considering the circumstances nowadays.

There was a beat of silence, before the crimson wolf held up his hands in surrender, shaking a bit from probably just adrenaline, maybe fear.

(From the way the stranger gasped for breath and seemed to have been in a rush, he would have guessed the former. Although anybody would be scared from being held at gunpoint.)

"H-Hey," the newcomer stuttered, still shaking like a leaf. His golden orbs were trained mostly on the nozzle of the gun, but they occasionally flickered up to the one who aimed it at him. "Look, I'm not the enemy here, I promise, I-I just ran into some of those creepy robots a-and—oh. _Oh,_ wait, if you're with Eggman, I swear I just—I—"

He almost felt a twinge of sympathy. This guy was just a scared civilian, no doubt. (The sash he wore looked older than the wolf himself, and it probably didn't carry any useful supplies or ammunition. In fact, he'd bet this guy had never even held a gun.)

Nevertheless, he kept his aim steady.

But the wolf stalled for a second. Blinked. Furrowed his brows. "… Wait, you—you're just a kid, aren't you?"

Something cold and hard sank in his gut, and he snarled. "No I'm _not._ I—I'm almost fifteen."

 _Way to go, idiot. That'll definitely help your case._

The wolf let his lips twitch up into a grin, and a fang poked out of the corner of his mouth. "I'm pretty sure that still makes you a kid."

He narrowed his eyes threateningly, and tightened his grip on the wispon in his hands. That seemed to wipe off the amusement on the stranger's face pretty quickly. "What do you want?" he bit out.

"N-Nothing! It's just…" the red male's eyes suddenly became misty, and a vague frown marred his muzzle. "… I _just_ lost all my friends, a-and those killer robots chased me out of the city, and… And I don't have anywhere else to go."

His grip on the gun subconsciously loosened.

The wolf smiled uneasily. "I-I mean, it looks like you're all alone out here, too, right? Surely you could use a friend?"

"I'm _fine._ "

"… Where are your parents?" the canine pressed, hesitantly, (and, shit, suddenly his arm was shaking and he couldn't hold the wispon steady anymore) "Or—or your friends? A sister, or brother?"

At the last word he felt something icy and bitter stab into his heart, and he bit his lip to try and restrain the burning sensation of welling moisture in his eyes. "Stop. Talking."

The wolf stiffened. "O-Okay! Yeah, uh, no problem."

They stood in silence for a moment, before he pinched the bridge of his nose and finally lowered the weapon. He bobbed his head in some vague direction off to the left. "Just go."

But the stranger wavered. "A-Are you sure?"

He glowered at the wolf. " _What._ "

The wolf rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean… Maybe we could, uh. Help each other out? Clearly we're both on our own, and, um. It's better stick together, what with the way things are nowadays, right?"

He didn't really have anything to say. H just continued eyeing the wolf warily, and rose a brow in bemusement.

The older male held out a hand, and grinned nervously. "I'm Gadget."

He stared at the hand. Back up at the wolf. Back down at the hand.

 _… What the hell._ "I'm T—" and he stopped himself, because he wasn't quite sure he was ready to hear somebody calling him _that_ name just yet. "… Miles." He never accepted the handshake, just eyed it impartially.

After a moment, Gadget dropped his hand back to his side. "Nice to meet you, Miles."

The teenager nodded uncertainly, before turning his back to the wolf and heading back to his log. He grabbed his knapsack and slung it over his shoulder. While over there, his sky blue eyes almost caught on the apple, still simmering in the summer heat just a ways away, but refused to let himself linger on _those_ thoughts. Besides, maybe this wolf guy would provide some distraction from the bad feelings (the _guilt,_ that always seemed to reemerge from the crevices of his mind, no matter how hard he shoved it away).

Clearing his throat and turning back to Gadget, he noticed the wolf was staring at his… extra tail a little strangely, and his words got stuck in his throat for a moment, expecting nasty insults. But the red mobian just disregarded it after a second, and smiled at him.

"So, uh," the wolf started, unsurely, "Do you have, like, any sort of shelter?"

Miles shrugged after a moment. "Yeah."

Gadget looked almost painfully uncomfortable, and his smile was tight. "Um, could we…? Could we _go_ there?"

The younger boy narrowed his gaze in scrutiny, and the wolf squirmed uncomfortably under it. "Are you gonna ambush the place with your secret gang of bandits and steal my stuff if I take you there?"

"No! Of course not!" Gadget exclaimed, holding up his hands defensively. "I-I told you, I lost everyone I know. And I'd never do that anyways, I swear. It's just… Really hot out here, and—and those robots might, uh, might come back soon."

Miles eyed him curiously for a brief moment, before starting to head back into the foliage, towards Westopolis. "C'mon."

"You—" the wolf startled, "You live in the city?! _How?_ It's swarmed with robots, you can't—"

"Just follow my lead," the teen said, beckoning for Gadget to follow. He added on for good measure, "I'll protect you."

The canine's face reddened, and he bowed his head. " _I don't-!_ … Um. Thanks."

Miles snickered, and the pair made their way towards the city.

* * *

Eventually, he had just sort of lost count of how many days he'd been here.

He gave up after around four months. And not too much time could have passed since then, but every day was still relentless and they dragged on too long for him to bear. It was getting harder for him to retain any optimism. Retain any hope that they were still looking for him.

And, really, he couldn't blame them for giving up. Because they probably did. He was a lost cause. And if what Infinite told him was true, then they all had bigger problems to focus on, like staying alive and saving the world. It'd be a waste of precious resources to keep looking for him.

 _(It still kind of hurt, though.)_

He was just… Tired. So tired. And some days all he wanted to do was just close his eyes and give up. Stop breathing. Stop trying to mend the new wounds he gained each day.

But if he was anything, he was stubborn. And there was this faint glimmer of hope in the deepest depths of him that still pushed through. Told him to never cave to the beatings, or the torture.

It was probably the engagement ring that kept that glimmer alive. After the hours of pummeling, and unnecessary surgeries, and water boarding, it still remained smooth and polished, snugly fit on his finger. He'd admire it for hours, stare deeply into the ruby gem embedded into it; it made him forget about his insomnia, about the tears drying on his muzzle. The ring told him stories of what could have been. It told him stories of gentle kisses, of a honeymoon, of growing old together.

A real shame he'd never get to have that, now.

But he could still dream.

When the jackal entered his cell, with a few Egg Pawns tailing behind, he didn't even acknowledge them. He didn't care much where they were going to drag him off to, at this point. He faintly wondered if they were finally just going to off him.

Strangely enough, though, they didn't try to drag him out of the cell this time. Instead, they stabbed his arm with a needle that made his muscles get tingly and his head become cloudy.

It was a pleasant feeling, really, considering how it numbed the horrible wound on his arm. It had been caked in blood, constantly filtering out of the gashes for the past fifteen minutes, spilling into a warm puddle of the carmine ooze beneath him. Metal Sonic had gotten a little out of control in his last beating, and his steel talons had dug a little _too_ deep into his flesh.

This injury was one of the more serious ones, and he'd probably bleed out soon. Normally Eggman stitched him right up, because they couldn't have their little _toy_ break, but the injection of drugs? Now that was different. Typically they wanted him conscious for the operation. It was probably more fun for them that way.

 _Maybe this is their way of finally just killing me,_ he mused to himself as his vision grew dark around the edges.

No, it couldn't be. It was too merciful.

Sonic was lost to a numbing darkness before he could think anything else.

…

His body found bliss in the brief period he was finally able to rest.

…

And then he woke up again.

With a weary groan from the back of his throat, Sonic began to peel open his sunken eyes. He was greeted with an uncomfortably bright light shining in his face, and grimaced at it for a second before adjusting.

His body felt weird and floaty. His nerves were slowly awakening from their slumber, and he had pins and needles dancing across his entire form. Vaguely, he registered that his entire right side ached uncomfortably, and that there was this burning sensation quickly becoming more apparent in his right shoulder.

Hissing in pain, the hedgehog tried to shift a little and look at his arm, to see what the problem was, only finding that it made more pain flare up in his side.

But before he could try again, the speedster froze suddenly when he heard a voice from just outside the room. It sounded dull and automated; an Egg Pawn, probably.

"… Yes, sir, the operation was successful. The sedatives should last approximately fifty-four more minutes… Yes, it was correctly installed. The remote controls have already been shipped out to both of your locations. They should arrive in…"

He tuned out the bot, disinterested in hearing the rest of what it had to say. He was still stuck on its previous words. What the _hell_ happened to him?

Vision now much more well adjusted, the blue blur was able to finally look at his arm, to hopefully get a good idea of how bad it was.

And he nearly gagged.

It was… gone. Missing. Torn off of his body.

And in its place was a cybernetic arm, composed of a shiny, violet steel that glinted a little in the lamp's lighting. Bile stirred in his stomach and started crawling sickeningly up his esophagus.

Sonic looked down at the rest of his body. He was strapped to a table with leather bindings around his wrists and ankles. Off to the left was a small stand that held various surgical tools. The cold feeling of dread sunk harder into his gut as reality started to set in.

They'd really done it. They amputated his arm off, and—and made him _half-fucking-machine._

He took a moment to lift his gaze up to the ceiling, to steady his breathing and let his stomach settle. Using his left thumb, _his normal thumb,_ he rubbed easy circles into the gold ring around his finger. He forced out a trembling sigh, closing his eyes for a second. He could do this; he was fine. He was _Sonic the Hedgehog,_ for fuck's sake, and he could adapt. He had to.

Tentatively, the blue blur made the mental effort to flex his fingers. There was a miniscule delay, but surely enough, the metal fingers moved as he wanted them to. He almost felt relief, because hey, at least he still _had_ an arm; regardless, he was still nauseas at the idea of what had just happened to him. _Had those gashes in his arm really been that bad?_

But as his mind reeled and his stomach churned uneasily, this… _idea_ struck him. This stupid, ridiculous idea.

Because, supposedly, he wasn't going to wake up for another fifty or so minutes. Which meant they were going to leave him here, somewhat unguarded, for that span of time. Because, supposedly, there was no need to guard him. _Supposedly,_ he was unconscious, and they didn't have to worry about him for the time being.

Despite the trauma of his arm, the dreary numbness that still enveloped most of his body, and the fact that he'd been held captive for months, Sonic felt a wicked grin spread across his face.

He wondered how strong his new arm was. And with a twist of his wrist, a yank upwards, and a satisfying tear of thick leather, he quickly got his answer. Frantically, he used the prosthetic limb to tear off the cuff on his fleshy wrist, and promptly did the same for his ankles.

There was this fluttery sensation in his chest that was just _indescribable_ as the hedgehog stared down at himself.

 _He was free._

He was free from his bonds, from his cage, from his imprisonment. _He could walk out right now, and nobody could stop him._ Inhaling deeply, his system became flooded with newfound adrenaline. He could practically taste the fresh air and the beaming sunlight, just outside, calling to him.

Without wasting another second, Sonic leapt off the table, shoved the door open, and ran out into the hall in a magnificent feat of alacrity. And while sirens began to wail obnoxiously in his ears, and his vision was overtaken by flashing red lights that flickered that throughout the facility, he didn't falter once as he tore down the maze of monochrome hallways.

In fact, for the first time in months, he _laughed._

* * *

 **sonic's still alive n kicking! and he's finally gonna escape (assuming he makes it out) !**

 **plus, sparks are flying between amy & knux! and Sad Apple Guy has been revealed to be _miles,_ a grumpy kid with two tails (wink wink nudge nudge)**

 **i also just wanna note: the school year has officially started up for me :/ which means that while i'm gonna try to maintain the weekly schedule i've got going, there's a high chance updates are gonna slow down in the future (but no worries, i'm not gonna abandon this fic!)**


	4. faith

**yk i was hoping schoolwork wouldn't be too bad at first n that i'd be able to maintain the weekly schedule for awhile, but apparently not. i got slammed w work, so sorry bout that y'all. expect future updates to be slower and probably a bit sporadic.**

 **anyways, to make up for it, here's an action packed chapter 4! it's a phat 6k this time around, so enjoy you sick bastards.**

 **usual warnings for lotsa blood/swearing/violence. you know the deal by now.**

* * *

 **IV.**

 _faith (fāTH)_

 _[noun]_

 _complete trust or confidence in someone or something._

* * *

Shadow came to slowly, his vision dark and fuzzy and his head filled with cotton. He took a deep breath, feeling the stale air wash throughout his system and start to awaken all of his nerves and muscles and bones. Blinking a few times, the hedgehog tried to make out his location, stiff and calculating, but it was too dark to tell.

It eventually came to his attention that he was sitting in a chair of some sort, that felt icy cold against his back. He also started to realize that his arms were tied behind the chair, and that's when the first droplets of fear started to come trickling into his mind.

He tried to pull free from the bonds around his wrists, but it was fruitless. A rush of numbing pins and needles rolled across his arms at the action, and it felt strange and uncomfortable. The same thing happened as he tried to move his feet, which were each bound to the frontal legs of the chair.

Head still warm and foggy, it was difficult to concentrate on how he got here and what was happening. The room he was in was still too dark to make out, and his blurry vision wasn't helping.

"You're awake," a voice suddenly intruded, and it made every bone in Shadow's body grow rigid. The voice was low and warped, chillingly calm, and he knew exactly who it was.

The agent's jaw was still too numb to work, so all he could do was glower as the jackal stalked towards him, a Chaos Emerald poised between his claws.

Infinite chuckled lowly, withdrawing an empty syringe and dangling it before the hedgehog's tired ruby eyes. "You know, it was rather difficult trying to concoct a sedative strong enough to put _you_ to sleep, but this certainly did the trick."

Shadow scowled at the tyrant. His memories were still returning to him in pieces. The last thing he remembered was roaming the wastelands of Holoska, searching for emeralds. He wasn't quite sure how that led him here, but it seemed like whatever substance they injected into him was enough to keep him disoriented for a while—and hopefully not much longer.

"And," the jackal continued, undoubtedly grinning like a maniac beneath his mask, "I must thank you for the emeralds. They're certainly welcome additions to our collection."

Grunting, the ebony agent tried to formulate words, but they came out slurred and quiet. His tongue was being uncooperative. "… What're you gonna do t'me?"

Infinite laughed to himself, inspecting the gem in his hand. It glowed a subdued turquoise, and Shadow could almost feel a bit of its energy feeding into him. If anything, it would help flush out the fatigue from the drugs in his system.

"See, we've currently got a _… rodent problem._ One of my captives has escaped. And while I would _love_ to trust that Metal can get the job done, he can still be rather incompetent." Leaning in close, the dictator purred into the agent's ear, "So, you, my dear Shadow, are going to be the bait."

With that, Infinite placed a hand to the Phantom Ruby embedded in his chest, before slowly pulling it away as he conjured a carmine scimitar from the strange gem. It looked almost transparent, like a projection, but it was most definitely corporeal. He held the blade to Shadow's throat, and the ebony hedgehog clenched his jaw as it drew a bead of blood. It traveled leisurely down his neck in a thin stream of carmine.

"Now then," the canine said, cocking his head to the side, "Let's get you ready for the cameras."

* * *

The streets of Westopolis were almost entirely abandoned. In fact, aside from the debris of various collapsed buildings, and the occasional badnik patrolling around, there were no other signs of life in the once grand city. It was a bit of a relief, in a way, but it also put Gadget on edge, because now all he could think about was where that pack of robots from earlier could've gone.

Miles—who was a fox, he assumed—guided their trek through the metropolis, this time wielding a completely different weapon from the gun he'd used earlier. It was strange looking; only a steel hilt, no blade or anything attached. He figured he'd just have to trust that the kid knew what he was doing.

Gadget was quiet during their journey. There was this childish fear stirring within him that insisted that talking would only draw more enemies to them; so instead, he looked to his inner musings to fill the silence.

Miles was a strange kid. He was just that _—a kid—_ yet he was oddly mature for his age (and if he was telling the truth earlier, he was no older than fifteen). And those weapons the boy had, they were unlike anything Gadget had ever seen. He still couldn't quite understand the purpose of the weird hilt-thing the fox carried, and even that red gun-thing was strangely bulky. Plus, the kid had—had _two_ tails. And he certainly wasn't gonna point it out, or anything (he wasn't _rude_ ), but still. It was strange.

"Shit," the younger teen murmured, suddenly. Gadget's amber eyes flickered up to him in question, heart rate spiking at the urgency in the other's tone, before it plummeted to the pit of his gut. A swarm of violet titanium approached from down the street, no doubt some new badniks patrolling. "Over here."

In a blink of an eye, Miles had already ducked behind a car, holding up the strange metal hilt defensively. With only a moment of hesitation, the college student followed suit. They stayed crouched there for a few seconds, and Gadget started nervously fingering the hem of his glove.

"What are they?" the crimson mobian whispered, finally, peeking over the hood of the abandoned vehicle. The bots were getting closer, and it was then that he noticed their strange resemblance to… ostriches? Or some other kind of bird, at least.

"Egg Walkers," the fox replied, his tails swishing around anxiously, betraying his level tone. He fiddled with some buttons on the metal rod he wielded. "They aren't too tough, but there's still, like, ten of them. Just wait here, I'll—"

"No," Gadget said, a little bit too loudly. Both of them flinched at it, but after another quick glimpse at the Walkers, it seemed like they still hadn't noticed them. The wolf took a shaky breath. "… I—I wanna help fight."

Miles rose a brow, but after a moment, pulled out the strange, red gun out of his knapsack, and handed it to the older male. "Fine. The safety's on, by the way. Just hold down the trigger to activate the flames. And don't overuse it—it overheats easily."

The wolf blinked, staring at the device in awe as he flipped off the safety. "The fla— _This is a flamethrower?!_ "

He earned a smirk from Miles. "Something like that. Now c'mon, follow my lead."

With that, the teenager flicked the metal hilt downwards, and during the motion, a stream of electricity protruded out, like some sort of rope. It crackled on the asphalt, shimmering a bright tawny.

Gadget could only gape. " _… Is that an electric whip?!_ " he hissed, fixing his frames.

Miles' smirk widened. "Less talking, more fighting."

"… R-Right."

And without another word, the kit leapt into action, slinging the whip (that was apparently made of pure electricity?) forwards as it wrapped around the torso of one of the robot-ostriches. He yanked the tether back, and the badnik fell forward, sliced into two. He snickered triumphantly, and thumbed his nose.

Tentatively, Gadget started forwards as well, pulling down on the trigger. He gasped as a plume of flames rocketed out of the weapon, engulfing two of the bots and melting them down to worthless puddles of half-solid metal and fizzling circuitry. The blaze felt hot against his face, and the weapon began to burn against his gloved hands. He quickly released the trigger, huffing out in relief.

Without any hesitation, he then swiveled to the right, and was met with the sight of two missiles whizzing right towards him. The red male yelped in surprise, stumbling back. His breath hitched as a lash of lightning flicked through the air and snapped against the rockets, causing them to explode midair. Turning to Miles, he gave an admittedly awkward thumbs-up in thanks.

The fox nodded, an easy smile playing at his lips, before his sapphire orbs bulged. "Look out!"

Caught by surprise, the wolf fell backwards, aimlessly firing his weapon. One of the Walkers lunged towards him at a slightly jarring speed—and it probably would've trampled him if his companion hadn't leapt forward straight at it.

Instantaneously, Miles pressed something on the hilt of his whip, and it contracted back into the steel bar, before a shorter beam of electricity was erected, resembling something like a sword. The boy sliced the elongated neck of the bird-like bot right into two, skidding to a stop as it collapsed to the ground.

"You okay?" the tangerine fox asked. Gadget nodded slowly.

"What kind of weapon is that thing?"

Miles snickered, and opened his mouth to speak, before something else behind the elder caught his attention and he charged after it. The sounds of crackling voltage and the groans of failing machinery could be heard over his shoulder. When the wolf stood back up, all of the Egg Walkers were already destroyed.

The younger boy clicked a button on his weird-lightning-sword, and the current of golden light withdrew back into the hilt. Smiling to himself, he slipped it back into the side pocket of his knapsack. "Hey, uh. Thanks for the help."

Gadget gave a sheepish grin. "I mean, you did most of the work. How'd you learn to fight like that, anyways?"

Suddenly, Miles' face fell, and it seemed like all the progress that had been made to get him to open up was lost. "… Don't worry about it. Let's keep moving."

A pang of guilt in his chest, the college student couldn't find anything to say, simply nodding dejectedly and tailing after him in silence.

They wandered the streets a little while longer, and the late afternoon sun had just began its descent towards the horizon, painting the honey sky a faint peach. It was hard to truly admire it, though, what with all the crumbling skyscrapers blocking the view. The wolf took the time to steady himself and phase out the adrenaline still coursing through his system from the prior battle; his hands still trembled slightly.

Just as Gadget began to ask aloud if they were close to their destination, Miles made a sudden pivot into a small convenience store, with shattered windows barricaded by flimsy oak planks, and the barren shelves inside toppled over like dominoes. Wordlessly, the red mobian followed him inside.

But as he stepped into the tiny building, he instantly ran into Miles, who was halted right at the entrance.

"We gotta be careful," the kit explained. "I rigged the place with traps."

Miles then took a sudden step to the left, promptly leapt forward onto a barely legible 'x' marked on the floor, and proceeded to follow an irregular pathway to the back of the shop. Tentatively, Gadget followed suit, trying to mimic the other's precise actions. If the kid's peculiar, possibly-homemade weapons were anything to go by, he certainly didn't want to deal with the traps he'd created.

After a few minutes of jumping and sliding across the store in a manner that honestly would have embarrassed Gadget, had there been anyone else there to bear witness, the pair reached a strange bookshelf pressed against the back wall. The two-tailed fox grabbed the side of the furniture, and pulled it over to the left. Doing so revealed a hole in the wall, just small enough to crawl through.

"Always slide it to the left," Miles cautioned, before slipping through the fissure. "Also, can you pull that back into place behind you?"

The carmine mobian crept in after the other, and with a groan, pulled the bookshelf back into place. It was clever, hiding this outlet with that. In fact, Miles seemed ridiculously clever for a kid his age. Gadget was starting to think Chaos himself had led him to this fox—although, out of pity or whatever else, he couldn't really say.

Turning back around, the elder male found a small set of spiraling stairs before him. He hopped down them, finding himself in a dank little basement that was no larger than his old college dorm, illuminated by only a dusty lantern and a few candles.

Several cardboard boxes were placed around the walls, most of them taped shut, and only a few torn open. There was a slightly frayed loveseat in the opposite corner of the room, as well as a sleeping bag on the floor beside it. Miles was propped up on one of the cardboard boxes right by the entrance, at the base of the stairs. He was rummaging through another box beside him, eventually pulling out an aluminum can with its label torn off.

Gadget reddened when his stomach growled at the sight.

The fox looked to him and snickered, and taking a small pocket knife from the knapsack by his feet, he pried the can open. He peered inside to contemplate the contents, before shrugging and holding out a rusty spoon to the wolf.

"You like peaches?"

And the crimson boy almost teared up a bit, because, fuck, it had been _so long_ since he'd had real food—even if it was canned. He was used to dumpster-diving for half eaten boxes of stale crackers, so—so _this?_ This was a _godsend._

Graciously, he accepted the utensil and scooped out a slice of the fruit, popping it in his mouth. He hummed delightedly as it practically melted on his tongue. It was overly sweetened, but he wasn't complaining. "They're my _favorite._ "

Miles fished a peach out as well, chewing it thoughtfully. He smiled and gulped down the fruit. "Well, good, because this box is loaded with those. But I'm pretty sure there's other things too—I think I had applesauce the other day." He paused to search in the box again, withdrawing another unlabeled can. "Why don't you just take the whole thing? I'm sure you're hungry, and I've got plenty to spare."

Practically beaming, Gadget took the container and began eating more peaches. They tasted like the best thing he'd ever eaten, sweet and mushy and delectable. He'd almost forgotten how much he loved them.

"How'd you find this place, anyways?" the wolf asked through a mouthful of fruit, eyes wandering around the dim room.

The fox pried open his can with the pocket knife to find some nectarine slices, and hastily ate one in his pleasant surprise. "It was abandoned. I dunno how it got here, but one day I just ambled into this store and found that hole in the wall. All the boxes were still here, plus that couch. The sleeping bag was mine, though."

"Well," Gadget remarked in bafflement, "You definitely got lucky, kid."

Miles narrowed his eyes at that, but didn't say anything, instead savoring his own can of fruits. Promptly, he hopped up off the box and dragged his knapsack over to the loveseat. He withdrew the metal hilt from earlier, plus some various tools like a screwdriver and tweezers, beginning to tweak the device.

"You can take the sleeping bag, tonight," said the kit, his teal eyes trained on the weapon. "It's more comfortable than the loveseat—these cushions are hard as rock. Oh, and can I get that wispon back?"

"Wispon?" the elder mobian echoed, face scrunched up in confusion.

The fox chuckled. "Sorry, yeah, the flamethrower. These two both use Wisps' energy—which they provide willingly, I promise," he, curiously, added on. "I wanna add some upgrades to them, though."

Gadget complied and handed over the crimson gun. "The Wisps are those aliens from the news, right?"

Miles simply nodded in response and hummed quietly, heavily concentrated on his work. "They're real friendly. I met them a while ago, and I guess you could say they owed me one, so…" A beat of silence passed between them, and Gadget settled down in the sleeping bag.

Staring up at the ceiling, he wondered aloud, "So, you made those things? The wispons?"

Miles bobbed his head again. "Yeah. I, uh, I've got a knack for inventing stuff."

"That's pretty amazing," he said with a risen brow, "You must be pretty dang smart, huh?"

The fox laughed a little, and it sounded almost wistful. "… Yeah, I guess so."

Silence draped over the pair again, and Gadget decided to relish in it, letting his eyes close shut. Hopefully tonight wouldn't be too ridden by nightmares; today had been—horrific, to say the least, but he had wishful thinking that Miles, and the peaches, and maybe even his memories of _his_ face would get him through the night.

 _(It was still just wishful thinking, though.)_

* * *

He ran as fast as he could, legs aching and his throat burning, until he stumbled into the outskirts of a large city.

It was Station Square, he could tell. Despite the toppled buildings and crumbling streets, he could never forget the city that was practically his home. And it was disheartening, _devastating,_ even, to see the metropolis in shambles like this—there was no doubt that the damages were lofty and the death toll even higher. But that same, small spark of hope within himself persisted in his heart, delicate and yet gradually flaring to life. It was the only thing keeping him going.

Sonic jogged to a stop as he reached a street corner, by something of what looked to once be a small café, maybe. It was now nothing but a husk of its formal self, though, with boarded up windows and overturned tables out front. The hedgehog paid it no mind, simply taking a second to sit in one of the still intact chairs and catch his breath.

He rubbed his cramping legs uneasily, a tired frown marring his face. He'd only ran for maybe ten minutes—and yeah, obviously, it had been really fast—but, _man,_ he was out of shape. The speedster supposed he could blame it on having nothing to do in the past five or so months aside from sit around in his cell, but it still bugged him that his strength would be hindered for a while till he could build up some muscle again. Right now, he was probably a bit on the unhealthily-skinny side (but, hey, at least his ribs weren't showing).

The blue blur slouched in his seat, ending his leg massage to simply scan the barren city and drum his fingers restlessly on the table. He could spot a few bots patrolling the streets in the distance, but figured that as long as he kept his head low and stuck to the shadows, he'd be alright for a while.

But despite the somewhat stable game plan formulating in his head, Sonic still was growing more and more tense by the second from the pressing thought in the back of his mind.

He needed to find everyone, before _they_ found him.

With a groan, the hedgehog stood up again, deciding he'd rested long enough already. The sooner he got a move on and found all his friends (his brother, his _fiancé_ ) the sooner he could truly rest; the idea of just _seeing_ a familiar face again was unbelievably exhilarating.

Starting down the sidewalk, Sonic screwed up his face in suspicion, holding his new prosthetic to eye-level. He twisted it around, watching the fresh coat of violet paint shimmer in the sunlight. As neat as it looked (Tails would surely get a kick out of analyzing it), something just felt… _off_ about it.

Maybe, he mused grimly to himself, there was a bomb inside of it—and ol' Eggbreath would be able to blow him to pieces at the press of a button. His lips twitched a little at the thought; he wasn't sure if he should be entertained by it, or deeply disturbed _(because, honestly, nowadays? It didn't sound completely farfetched)._

 _Maybe,_ a voice whispered from the back of his head, foreign and distressing and very much unwelcome, _there's a tracking device stuck in the arm._

And suddenly his heart plunged.

Not wasting a second, Sonic clawed frantically at his arm socket, where the metal had fused with his flesh, trying manically to pry the damn thing off. It sent needles of sharp pain sending down the prosthetic (he didn't even want to know how they managed to put nerves in a _robot-fucking-arm_ ) and across his side. He hissed at the burning sensation, scrunching up his nose as blood started to trickle out from the seam between steel and skin.

After a few more seconds of fruitless clawing, that only resulted in more blood oozing from his arm socket and more shooting pain, the hero finally halted his efforts, leaning his back against the cool wall of a building.

 _Okay,_ he finally concluded _, so maybe I can't take this thing off._

(Here's hoping he'd run into a certain brainiac fox that could check for any _GPS-whatever's_ installed in the hunk of garbage before disaster struck.)

Pushing back off the wall, the hedgehog continued his sullen trek, only now mentally cursing at himself for the newfound pain in his arm.

Finding his friends. Right. Gotta focus on the positives.

(Except thinking about his friends just made him think about—about _then._ It made him think about _the junkyard,_ about how he'd _failed,_ about the look of _pure horror_ on Tails' face, the kid who doesn't deserve to ever shed a single tear because _dammit he's so young,_ as a searing pain had snapped across his stomach, blood gushing out, his vision darkening—it just—it all happened so fast and—)

Sonic exhaled deeply, coming to a stop to steady himself. _In and out. In and out._

Tails was gonna be okay. They all were. And he was gonna show them that he was okay too. Or at least, that he _would_ be, anyways.

The hedgehog felt his own hand ease onto his stomach. His thumb ghosted along the scar, that was still red and puffy and streaked right down his chest like a bolt of lightning. It was almost unbearable to look at _—just reminded him of his failure—_ but he still couldn't help his temptation to touch it constantly. It was just a subconscious thing, like his mind was still trying to process that that day actually happened.

Lost in his own thoughts, the speedster almost didn't hear the newcomer behind him. Almost.

" _I hope you've enjoyed your afternoon stroll._ "

That voice, sharp and tinny and downright bone-chilling, sent shudders down Sonic's spine. That voice still chased him in his nightmares sometimes. And, lately, it was getting real damn hard to distinguish nightmare from reality. It took a moment to remind himself that this _was_ real, this _was_ really happening, he _was_ probably about to die, before he turned around.

He tried to wear at least a little coolness in his expression as he faced the other—although he probably looked mortified, anyways.

" _It's a shame that I must be the one to end it._ "

Metal Sonic's carmine optics glowered something deadly in the summer heat, engine starting to whirr to life and steel talons twitching with bloodlust. Sonic felt his quills bristle at the sight, and he swallowed thickly.

"C'mon, man, just lemme stop and smell the roses for a bit," the cerulean male said, mentally bashing himself for the slight tremor in his voice. "I—I mean, it's been months since I've seen daylight. Can't blame me for bein' a little curious, can ya'?"

" _I suppose not,_ " the machine replied after a brief pause, and it started to circle the hedgehog, steadily and tauntingly. It irked Sonic; he was being toyed with, and he knew it. " _But surely you acknowledge the punishments for your noncompliance?_ "

The blue blur shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on his robotic twin. He went for a cheeky grin, and really hoped he looked confident. "Eh, I mean, sure, I get that you guys are probably super pissed right now. But you see," emerald orbs promptly narrowed to slits, "I'm not planning on goin' back there."

" _Your humor fails to reach me, but I can't help but find amusement in the fact that you believe you have an option in this matter._ "

"Believe me, buddy." Sonic dropped his tone to a snarl, done with the games. He lowered into a stance that was ready to break into a run at any given moment. "You're gonna have to drag my cold, dead body back to that hellhole."

Metal conjured some strange noise from its speakers that he supposed was some sort of scoff. Its ruby eyes searched the hedgehog's face shrewdly. " _Infinite would most likely be displeased if I were to terminate you, but… So be it._ "

In the blink of an eye, Sonic's vision was flooded with a swash of navy blue, as a rock-hard foot of literal steel rammed into his side and sending him flying across the street. The hedgehog skidded to a stop on the ground, before swiftly lunging back onto his feet and flipping out of the way just in time to dodge a bear-tackle from the sadistic bot.

Stumbling a moment as he tried to find his footing, the speedster cried out as steel knuckles then rocketed into his back, and he was flung forwards like a helpless ragdoll. He landed hard against the pavement, forcing himself to roll onto his back just in time to see Metal saunter up to him. It aimed its chest-cannon right at him, engine beginning to alight with a golden radiance. Heart skipping a beat at the sight, the hero pulled his legs up to his chest, before kicking them forwards and upwards, right into the robot's gut.

Metal fell backwards from the force, and Sonic seized the moment to leap onto the bot and shove it to the ground, planting a hand across its face and using his prosthetic arm to start punching the core of its engine. He couldn't help but grin a little triumphantly.

And the machine writhed for a moment, just as the hedgehog started to get caught up in his inner musings of how strong his new limb was, before it managed to latch its digits around his cybernetic elbow and yank down _hard._

Sonic yelped at the sudden action, watching fresh blood creep to the surface of the fissure at his shoulder, his emerald eyes misting up at the flare of pain across his entire right half. Metal almost pulled again at the steel arm, before the speedster was able to use his free hand to grab at the silver fingers and meticulously pry them all off himself.

As soon as he was free from its grip, the blue blur jumped backwards and to his feet, baring his fists in anticipation of an attack. But the killer machine took him by surprise, lunging right for his ankles and pulling him back to the ground. His quills did little to cushion the impact of his skull slamming into the asphalt.

He yelled out in pain at the blow, the world slowing briefly as his vision dulled a tad. A metal body crawled over him and started grabbing at his throat, barbed fingers jabbing into flesh. With his violet arm, Sonic managed clutched onto the side of Metal's skull and thrust it down to the left, smashing it against the road.

Its head crumbled satisfyingly, the pressure of Sonic's metal arm causing its cranium to cave a bit inwards, and its glass optics to fracture. The hedgehog seized the chance to push it harder against the ground, hoping that maybe he could damage some internal hardware. Unfortunately, his moment of victory was cut short as the bot sent a metal boot right into his kneecap, and pain splintered across the bone, forcing him to recoil. Metal took the opportunity to grab a hold of his fleshy bicep and push off the ground with its jetpack.

The nemeses shot through the air, the robot using its jet's propulsion to send them straight into a building, as it proceeded to slam Sonic back against the cement wall. Metal dug the claws of its free hand into his chest, drawing pinpricks of blood, as it began strangling him with the other.

Sonic flailed helplessly, kicking and wheezing, but his energy was running out and his vision was blurring around the edges. All his mind could do was scream at him, scream at him to _get away_ and _survive._

Thinking only on instinct, the speedster threw his head forwards, colliding right into Metal's navy blue plating. Sonic groaned in pain, muscles slackening a bit as his head spun _because what the fuck, why did he do that, he can't head-butt a fucking robot,_ but surely enough his psychotic twin relinquished its grip and stumbled backwards, giving him a moment to breathe.

Refusing to let go of his advantage now, Sonic scrambled to grab at the machine, getting a good grip on its shoulder before throwing it against the wall just beside himself. Luckily enough, the space of wall next to him happened to be a window, and he grinned triumphantly as its steel head smashed right through the glass, optics flickering in and out for a moment. It pulled itself forwards, pausing to collect itself, a couple shards of the window pane sticking out of its head.

With a heavy gasp of air, and color starting to seep back into his eyesight, the blue blur took a couple steps back and rubbed his temples. "Chaos, _fuck—_ "

His knees soon buckled underneath him and he fell to a kneeling position, hardly restraining a pained moan as his probably-shattered kneecap exploded in agony again. His entire skull was throbbing, too, and blood was now streaming steadily from his right shoulder. His fleshy hand trembled uncontrollably as he used it to apply pressure to the socket.

Suddenly, a shadow of blue overtook his vision and he sputtered at the realization that Metal was still _fucking_ kicking. Sonic had no time to react before a hand of icy steel snapped back around his neck and pulled him into the air, squeezing harshly.

" _You've brought this upon yourself, you insolent hedgehog,_ " his doppelganger sneered, as it slowly pulled out a large shard of glass from the top of its head. " _But do not worry. As soon as the Phantom Ruby shard is embedded into you, you will no longer be able to resist our power._ "

Sonic clawed desperately at the metal hand that tightened around his airway, barely choking out a muted "what the hell?" in confusion, despite the darkness creeping up on him. _What did that mean? What shard?_

Before he could do anything else, though, Metal stabbed the glass piece into his side in one swift motion. It—It wasn't as deep as the last time he'd been stabbed, in the junkyard. But he could vaguely register the splatter of blood spray from his throat, as his body went starkly cold. He—He couldn't breathe at all, anymore, he couldn't think straight. His knee and his arm were both on fire, a-and the glass—the glass felt like it was sapping away all the blood left in his body. Despite the numbness that crawled across his limp form, he registered a trail of crimson sap pouring down from the wound.

Metal proceeded to unceremoniously drop the writhing hedgehog to the ground, its piercing gaze merciless as it glared at him. Sonic yelped as his leg bent from the force of the fall and his knee cracked, another spear of pain rocketing up his thigh. He landed on his back, and the gushing blood from the stab wound quickly began to pool around him.

Steel claws wrapping around his ankle, the robot began to drag him across the asphalt. And, dazedly, it took the hero a while to realize what was happening. As his mind caught up to the situation, he started grunting and kicking, trying to get away. The pavement was rough against his skin and left scrapes along his body.

"Mmph—lemme go, ya'… you hunk of garb'ge…" he slurred out, concussion getting the best of him. He clawed uselessly at every little piece of debris that could stop Metal from pulling him any further.

He was fucked. They were—they were gonna put the Phantom _-whatever_ in him, and who even _knew_ what effects that would reap. They were gonna be ruthless. Because Infinite was gonna be pissed.

Metal didn't even look over its shoulder as it snapped, " _Be quiet, or you will only make this worse for yourself._ "

Sonic moaned out helplessly as a piece of rubble dug into his right arm socket, eliciting another jolt of pain. " _Please,_ " he half-sobbed, "I… I can't go back there…"

In response, the mech only tensed its grip around his ankle, steel fingertips digging into his flesh. Consciousness quickly fleeting, the azure mobian could do nothing more than whimper softly, as his vision turned gray and fuzzy.

It was all slipping away so fast, that he barely caught a glimpse of the burst of white light a few meters away, the silhouette of a strangely familiar hedgehog emerging from it, before everything was drowned out by the ringing in his ears and the darkness in his vision.

* * *

"Knuckles, wait!"

Her heart leaping into her throat, Amy grabbed the echidna's hand and pulled him to a stop. He teetered just before the edge of a cliff, and she internally sighed in relief knowing he was safe, now. For a few seconds, the pair could only stand there in a strange state of shock, muscles still throbbing from their sprint through the woods, and heavy breaths breaking the uneasy silence.

The roar of engines in the distance was drawing closer, rekindling the sense of urgency in the ruby guardian. Swallowing thickly, he glanced around the area, searching for some sort of escape. And, in the back of his head, it vaguely registered that he was still holding the hedgehog's hand—and, yes, maybe it should've been a little awkward, given what had just happened between them only a few minutes ago, but… It was oddly comfortable. At the very least, she wasn't pulling away either.

Amy stepped a bit closer to the drop, peering over the edge. "Hey, look. It's not actually that steep. Come on."

The bubblegum warrior crouched down, before hopping down it like it was some sort of slide at a playground. She skidded down the slope about ten or so meters before finding herself in a strange pit of sorts. Knuckles followed her down warily.

"So, what—"

"Knuckles," she suddenly gasped, staring across the ditch in awe. " _Look._ "

Frowning just slightly in confusion, he followed her gaze. Amethyst orbs quickly settled on what he assumed he was looking for, and a stupid grin spread across his muzzle.

 _The Master Emerald._

With newfound elation, the two darted forwards, almost forgetting about their pursuers. As they approached the gargantuan gem, though, their joy started to ebb away. Amy came to a stop about a foot away from it, but Knuckles dared to get a bit closer, hovering his mitts over its surface.

"What's…" the girl murmured, "What's wrong with it?"

The echidna's lips twitched, and he furrowed his brows in concern. "… I don't know."

He wasn't exactly sure what had happened to the emerald, just that it was wrong. There were miniscule fissures running all along its once pristine surface, and a few small clusters of some alien, red crystal was scattered across it. The Master was propped up on some tiny cement pedestal, and various black wires snaked out from it, running back up the sides of the pit. Honing in on its energy, Knuckles could sense something unstable stirring beneath its surface. It… It _wasn't right._

Amy piped up, "Uh—hey, Knuckles? We've got a problem."

With slight reluctance, the echidna turned back to face her, about to ask just _what_ could be more important than _this,_ when his heart stopped. All along the perimeter of the crater, a swarm of motobugs glared down at the duo. Hovering up above was a squadron of rather angry-looking buzz bombers. _Looks like they found them._

"Shit," he grumbled, anxiety building in his gut as the motobugs began to rev their engines challengingly. They were outnumbered by a _lot._ Hastily, Knuckles whipped back around, starting to rip off the chords hooked up to the base of the Master Emerald. "Amy, hold them off for me—I gotta get this out of here."

Conjuring her piko hammer with a flick of her wrist, the hedgehog nodded affirmatively. "Don't worry about me, I got this."

Just in time, the insect-like bots surrounding them began to speed down the slopes of the ditch and rain down a barrage bullets from above. Clenching her mallet tighter, Amy cried out in fury and charged straight for the swarm of machines.

In the midst of the chaos, the guardian knelt down before the mystical gem, his gaze chary and worried. He inhaled deeply through his nose, hovering his hands just above its surface. He could feel the raw heat of it, wild and dangerous, and it gave him goose-bumps. Whatever had happened to the Master, it had been horrible.

"Just let me in. I want to help you," he whispered to it. With a deep exhale out through his mouth, Knuckles closed his eyes and eased his mitts onto the emerald.

Immediately, his vision was flooded with a bright, fiery red light.

* * *

 **a sneak peak of what happened to shadow! some miles n gadget bonding! and sonic's in a bit of a pickle :/ (but who's that mysterious hedgehog,,?) also, what in the world happened to the master emerald?!**

 **guess y'all just gotta wait n see :) smell ya later, nerds.**


	5. cacophony

**well holy hell y'all sorry ab that mini hiatus. school's just been getting worse and it's hard to squeeze in time for writing, but i swear i'm still keeping at! updates are just gonna be,, pretty slow :/**

 **also BIG NEWS! _this fic now has an official cover!_ it was made courtesy of one of my best buddies, tekina fiction (pls give them love also check out the collab i just published w them ok thanks that's all)**

 **anyways! another funky little chapter's here and it's got some pretty wack scenes that were admittedly really fun to write. hope y'all enjoy em too!**

 **blah blah blah, typical warnings. read away!**

* * *

 **V.**

 _cacophony (kəˈkäfənē)_

 _[noun]_

 _an incongruous or chaotic mixture._

* * *

The red light was relentless for a while, before it subsided a bit and gave way to a black, empty space that seemed to stretch out for an eternity. It was nearly impossible to pick up on, but beneath the muted fog of crimson, there was a slight greenish hue surrounding him.

Sparks of unseen energy crackled along his arms and legs, sending an endless stream of slight tremors across his form, as though he'd ingested too much caffeine. There was a constant buzz in his head, and a strange hyperawareness of absolutely everything was assaulting his brain. It was difficult to focus on any distinct thought; everything seemed to run in fast-motion. Off in the distance, he saw glimmers of gold, which he honestly couldn't distinguish from stars or power rings.

The echidna figured the latter, given the familiar feeling of electricity pumping in his blood. The Chaos energy was recognizable enough to him—he could still somewhat discern the whispers of the Master Emerald, despite how hushed they were—and yet that same, unstable power persisted.

Everything felt more manic. The Special Zone normally brought with it clarity, flushing away all the toxins and corruptions plaguing the user's mind. But the red fog, however vague, permeated the entire space and made him feel like he was underwater; cold, detached, stuck. It was all so murky, making the mobian feel more stressed than rejuvenated.

A rising fear clenched his stomach, trying to grab hold of his reeling mind. He was taking it all in too fast, the energy was so intense it burned his skin, sucked the breath right out of him. This was—This was _so wrong,_ and he needed to figure out how to fix it _now._

"Knuckles," a voice murmured, just barely audible amongst the raw, alien energy that buzzed incessantly in his ears.

He knew that voice. He _knew_ it. Hastily, the echidna whipped his head around, squinting past the red haze, trying to pinpoint the spirit he searched for. Amethyst orbs eventually settled on the just barely tangible silhouette of another echidna.

"Tikal!" he cried, trying to reach forwards. But he felt immobilized, drifting by with no control over his movements. "Tikal, what's happening?!"

The distant figure seemed like it was fading by the second. "I don't have long, Knuckles. And soon, your realm won't either. You must hurry."

" _What?_ " His eyes widened in bewilderment.

"I don't fully understand what is happening," Tikal said, her muted words snaking into his ears. "Some foreign entity has latched onto the Master Emerald. It is devouring her positive energy like a parasite, and throwing the Forces of Chaos out of balance. It won't be long before she collapses completely."

Knuckles couldn't conjure any coherent response, and settled on a _"fuck"_ that felt numb against his tongue. _Was this real? Was he dreaming?_

"What—" he stammered, feeling tingly all over as his heart pounded against his ribcage like a wild animal, "What happens when the Master collapses?"

Tikal's presence was fading fast, and the guardian was desperate for her to stay. And at that, it was unbearable to think how draining it must've been for her to be constantly fending off whatever parasitic monster had decided to cause all of this, whilst maintaining a corporeal form and speaking to him.

"I-I can't stay much longer, Knuckles. Just know it will reign down destruction on Mobius, even the universe, if it does."

This was insane. This was ludicrous. This—This couldn't—This wasn't _possible._

He—He had to get out, he had to find the others, so they could find a way to stop this. Before it got worse, before they ran out of time, before Eggman got his hands on it again.

Was this all some experiment of the doctor's? It had been hooked up to that plethora of cables, and whatever the red crystallization was, it was no natural formation. Nanobots? Some crazy concoction of a virus? Tails would have been able to figure it out, probably.

Maybe it was related to that—to that _thing,_ on Infinite's chest. The jackal's red gem bared a nearly uncanny resemblance to the clusters of ruby strewn about the Master. And they still had yet to really deduce the properties of his strange jewel.

Really, the possibilities were endless. And it was stressing the ever living fuck out of Knuckles.

The hot flashes came quickly, and the remnants of oxygen still in the atmosphere of the Special Zone were thin and scarce; his breathing quickly became strained. The red seemed to grow more intense, and heat crawled up his skin like a beast with nothing but the unadulterated need to finish off its prey.

Knuckles wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut. He could do it. There was still Chaos Energy here, regardless of how corrupted it was. _If he could just—_

Sharp pain struck him right through the center of his chest, his eyesight turning so bright it hurt. He cried out in agony, ruthless heat rippling across his body and stabbing into his pores. The ringing in his ears was growing louder by the second.

He tried _—_ he _tried—_ so hard to concentrate on Chaos Control, but he just—he could barely breathe, the energy was too hyperactive, he couldn't—

The blaring vision of a pair of eyes, disconnected and cold, one a deep blue and the other a bright gold, flashed before him.

Knuckles passed out before he could even get another breath in.

* * *

 _He just needed to go back._

 _He just needed to go back._

 _To the moment where everything went wrong._

Warmth spread across his body as sensations like smell and taste and hearing returned to him, and suddenly Silver could breathe again.

Frankly, the world he was greeted to wasn't much better than where he was a few minutes ago, before he was trapped in the Null, when he'd been wandering the streets of that fucked up dystopian future. Everything still looked to be in shambles like before, complete with toppled buildings and abandoned, rusted vehicles, and he had no doubt that the distant sound of shifting metal belonged to even more lurking Egg Pawns or the like.

The psychic sucked in a breath, closing his eyes after his brief once-over of the city, focusing on himself. The pungency of smog wafted around him; a dry, sour taste lingered on his tongue; aside from the metal clanging nearby, everything was deathly silent, like all of life had ceased to exist. There was a horrible fear in the pit of his stomach that wondered if that was true, before he reminded himself that this had to be the past, that it couldn't be any worse than that future with the maniacal dog.

Silver peeled open his eyes again, and they instantly locked onto the boggling sight no more than a hundred feet ahead of him.

It was Metal Sonic, that much he could confirm, trudging down the street and completely oblivious of his presence. It sported quite a few dents and scratches and fissures, but more unsettlingly, blood was splattered across it. The liquid still looked a little fresh, and it sent shudders down the time-traveler's spine.

And as his gaze trailed downwards, he noticed the mech was dragging along some mass of blue fur, also sporting some blotches of carmine. It didn't take long for Silver's mind to connect the dots, and if he weren't so used to the constant violence in his life then he probably would have retched.

 _Sonic._

There was a gut instinct to run forwards and help his friend, before apprehension trickled into his bloodstream and his feet became glued to the asphalt. Because as far as he knew, it could be the same twisted version of the blue blur he'd encountered only moments ago, from the distant future. The one that didn't seem to have a mind of his own, the one that would try and kill him if he caught sight of him again.

Squinting his eyes, the psychic ran a keen inspection of the pair of doppelgangers, searching for a certain robotic arm or red gem, particularly.

Sure enough, Sonic's right arm glinted violet in the hazy sunlight, as it dragged limply on the ground. Something squirmed uncomfortably in Silver's stomach, recalling his previous battle.

But if—if this was _the moment,_ the moment his Chaos Control had brought him to, where everything changed and they stood a change at saving the world, then… Was it just too late to ever save Sonic?

The time-traveler's heart sank, as he eyed Metal and the unconscious hedgehog with a crestfallen look. Sonic was his friend, and—and he felt horrible thinking he couldn't save him. It wasn't—Chaos, this was so fucked up. Silver _had_ to save him. Somehow. He was the only one who could.

Without another moment's hesitation, the hero started forwards, pushing past his fatigue with headstrong determination. He threw out an open palm, smirking as teal light wrapped around Metal's legs. The navy blue bot froze, digits twitching unnervingly before it swiveled its head to meet Silver's eyes. Those cutthroat red optics always made his blood run cold.

The machine released its grip on Sonic's ankle, and his leg fell to the ground inelegantly, just as flaccid as the rest of his body. Now that Silver was closer, he noticed the lack of a ruby jewel embedded in the hedgehog's chest, and hoped that was a good sign. But he knew he couldn't dwindle on his worries for Sonic, electing to focus on taking out Metal before anything else.

Legs still locked in place, the bot pivoted its torso around almost one-hundred-eighty degrees, aiming its chest-cannon right for the sprinting psychic. Silver gasped as its frame exploded with light, diving to the side just in time to miss a giant laser, heat exuding from it in waves. The way it practically burned his side, despite being a foot away, planted this nasty though in his mind that he'd be a pile of ashes right now if he hadn't moved in time.

Metal cocked its head, lifeless stare piercing straight through Silver. It began charging up its laser again, still immobilized by his psychokinesis, and with that the hero sacrificed his hold on the bot to fling his hand to his right and seize an abandoned car.

A film of turquoise spread across the automobile, and the hedgehog swiftly flung his hand back in the direction of the robot, watching in satisfaction as it slammed full-force into the lithe thing, causing it to soar backwards.

The car tumbled to a stop as Silver released it, jogging up to Metal, which was plastered against the cement wall of a building. Its optics were dimmed, flickering on and off, and its limbs convulsed uncontrollably. It struggled to lift up an arm, as it floundered fruitlessly in attempt to grab him.

Silver planted one hand down against its shoulder pad, using the other to envelop a teal coat of energy around its head. Pushing hard against its body to keep it from flying away with it, the time-traveler flicked his wrist up, watching satisfactorily as Metal's skull yanked right off from its shoulders. The head arced through the air before landing unceremoniously a few feet away.

Releasing his grip on the beheaded machine, it collapsed on the ground in a heap of steel and circuitry. Silver sniffed, swabbing a thumb at his nose and turning to walk back towards the unconscious hedgehog across the street that he could only describe as an enigma.

He knelt beside Sonic, scanning his injuries. A bit of blood seeped out from the seam between his prosthetic and torso, and more of it spilled out from where a shard of glass was stabbed into him, just to the left of his abdomen. The blue blur's leg was also twisted a bit awkwardly at the knee, and it made Silver cringe.

Part of him hissed, _leave him to die, he's only going to wake up and try to murder you again—_ but the other cut in, _no, he's your friend, help him._

Silver sighed, and bowed his head close to Sonic's, pressing two fingers against his throat to feel for a pulse and hovering an ear near his mouth to listen for a breath. He could deduce that he was breathing _(thank Chaos)_ , albeit shallowly.

Frantically, he proceeded to scan the area, in search of anything or anyone that could help—but the streets were deserted, and all the stores lining the streets were emptied and locked up. Reluctantly, Silver settled on pulling off Sonic's gloves. After unraveling the cuffs and tying the ends of them together, the garments were surprisingly long enough to pull around the blue blur's waist. He did so, being careful to tear a hole that fit around the piece of glass jutting out of him, before tying it into place. Silver grimaced as red immediately sapped into the gloves, before starting to apply pressure around the wound. He figured it'd be safer to leave the glass in for now, as it stemmed the blood.

That issue taken care of for the time being, the psychic set his eyes on Sonic's leg, bent in that chillingly unnatural position. The knee was already swelling up, and he could see some purple beneath the speedster's azure fur.

Inhaling sharply, Silver took a film hold of the leg, starting to push in back into place. He cringed as Sonic subconsciously squirmed and grunted from the mere pain, but continued to bend the leg back to normal. When it looked to be relatively alright, the time-traveler still flicked his hand up in the air, keeping his eyes trained on his friend, as he absentmindedly grabbed a stray newspaper with his powers and lured it to them.

Silver curled the newspaper around Sonic's leg, hoping the stiff wad of paper would be enough to act as a makeshift splint for the time being.

With an exhausted huff, the ivory hedgehog lifted up the other with his psychokinesis, dragging his limp body through the air alongside himself as he sped down the deserted street. He had to find some shelter, and possibly _(hopefully)_ some first-aid supplies. But hasty searches through the vacant shops throughout the city only provided him an old rag, which he used for extra pressure around the glass shard, and a nearly empty bottle of pain-relievers. It wasn't much, but maybe it'd help Sonic last a few more days till they found something better.

His mind a haze, unsure what else to make of all this, Silver pulled the unconscious Sonic to the outskirts of the city, into some woods, accompanied with nothing else but his disjointed thoughts.

* * *

 _Honey eyes scanned the room, feeling strangely on edge despite the familiar hominess of the atmosphere. Oxygen felt thick and heavy as it traveled down his throat. It all felt too congested and humid; he could feel the sweat clinging to his fur._

 _There was something off about this. Everything was a little too pristine, with its perfectly made beds, and the organized papers on his desk. His college dorm was always a mess, always so cluttered, and it just didn't—_

 _"Gadget?" a voice wondered from the other side of the door, accompanied with a light knock. "Are you there?"_

 _With a sharp gasp, the wolf whipped around faster than he thought was physically possibly, lunging for the door as the world tilted. At some point the air had acquired a musty haze, tinted like he was stuck in a black and white movie. His lungs groped wildly for another breath, and Gadget struggled to focus._

 _That was—that was_ his _voice. He didn't think he'd heard that voice in months._

 _The crimson male swung the door open as soon as he was able to get a hold of the handle, fingertips burning as though there was some untamed flame licking at his nerves from the inside. Everything seemed too tight, too murky, too excruciating, and it was difficult for him to keep his eyes trained on the door._

 _But when he opened it, Gadget was greeted to an endless, dark hallway._

 _It wasn't—It wasn't right, he_ heard _him, he_ knew _he was there, that voice was_ unmistakable—

 _"Gadget," he heard again, louder and painful this time as it pounded against his eardrums. The wolf startled, teetering backwards as he swung around again. His stomach turned sickeningly, and he felt so irrationally scared—he was here, he was home, but it felt like he was drifting through open space, forever lost and never to see a glimpse of the earth again._

 _As he faced his dorm again, the canine's gaze locked onto a pair of mismatched eyes, so empty and broken, yet so vivid that he nearly threw up. One eye was colored blue, gentle and watery and pale, a strange film lain on top of it; the other was a shimmering gold, almost enchantingly wicked and vibrant. For that the eyes were so—so unnatural and disconcerting to Gadget, and yet he recognized them regardless. The face they belonged to was so dissonant, like it was stuck in this constant battle of apathy and affliction._

 _The wolf tried to utter his name, but his tongue felt like cotton and his vocal chords were severed. But it was_ him, _undoubtedly, no matter how much his body refused to voice his words._

Zero.

 _"Gadget," the jackal echoed once more, sounding like a broken record at this point. There was something dwindling in his clashing eyes, something he couldn't quite place. Something that of disappointment, maybe. "Stop."_

 _Stop_ what, _he tried to ask, but it felt like a wall had built itself in his throat, blocking it off completely. He felt helpless, and the raging heat beneath his fingertips was growing more ravenous by the second, sending his heart rate skyrocketing. Gadget blinked slowly, losing his balance as he tried fruitlessly to overcome the vertigo slamming into him._

 _"Stop."_

 _His head was spinning, and suddenly the wolf was hyperaware of how carmine painted the walls, how it pooled around his feet, thick and sludgy and sucking him further down. Gadget tried to get away, close his eyes, but there was too much blood and he felt like it was going to drown him._

Their _bodies were scattered about the room, nothing more than ragdolls, their eyes glassy and vacant. All his friends, the people he'd bonded with, come to care for, the ones that stayed with him despite the wars waging outside, that hid with him in the dormitories and made this hell tolerable. Gone. Forever._

 _Gadget found he couldn't tear his eyes from them all, strewn about the room, blank stares locked onto him. The blood was seeping into his shoes, and it felt sticky against his feet. Everything was so grainy and faraway, now, the saturation drained away, like he was watching through a screen. The walls were closing in._

 _"Gadget, stop," Zero murmured again, his voice a gradual crescendo of ferocity. His dark ash fur and alabaster dreadlocks were now stained in the deep red sap that was flooding the room._

 _And suddenly the walls gained eyes, thousands of them, unending and piercing in their stares, blinding the red male. He couldn't see anything other than the intense glow of teal opticals stabbing through him, and Zero's discordant face, his watery blue eye and thunderous yellow one. It made Gadget want to cry._

 _The walls were nearing, morphing into metallic orange and gaining arms, the Egg Pawns all swarming him, overtaking the entire room, suffocating him. Blood was splattered across them as they marched forwards, merciless and dutiful and lethal. Metal hands grabbed at the wolf, yanking at his limbs, and he found he could do nothing more but scream. The blood was everywhere. They were going to kill him, they were going to kill him, just like the others. He was going to die. They were going to kill him._

 _And Zero's gaze was unwavering amongst the flurry of machines closing in on him. He wanted to speak, he wanted to kick and cry, he wanted Zero to save him; but the jackal just shook his head, watching indolently as the wolf flailed helplessly, his life being sucked away._

 _"Stop running, Gadget. Stop running."_

Wakefulness came to him suddenly and agonizingly, leaving the wolf throwing out his arms in defense and gasping heavily for air. It felt like he'd just breached the surface after being stuck underwater for too long, cold and trapped and oxygen-deprived.

"Hey," a young voice said, eliciting a flinch from him. Clementine fur flanked his left, and it took a moment for his eyes to focus on the figure and register in his mind who it was. "You alright?"

Gadget took a moment to calm himself, taking greedy breaths and wiping the sweat from his forehead. What the hell was that? It had to be one of the most horrific things he'd ever seen, with all the—all the blood, and—and _Zero._ He hadn't seen _his_ face—so vividly, too—in _months._ Hastily, he wiped the moisture from his eyes before any tears could spill.

What did it even mean? _Stop running?_ From what? Why was Zero telling him that? And his eyes—they'd always been like that, one blue and one yellow, but there was something so haunting about them, like—like a war was waging beneath them. It made Gadget's blood run cold just thinking about it; he didn't think he'd be able to sleep again after that.

 _(No rest for the wicked, huh?)_

"Yeah," he finally answered, sounding rather unsure. "… Just a bad dream."

Miles' gaze held an air of dubiety, like he could tell just from the look on the older one's face that it had clearly been a lot more than just a simple _bad dream,_ but opted not to say anything.

Instead, the fox ventured, "Wanna come help me gather some supplies?"

Furrowing his brows, Gadget stood up from the sleeping bag, rolling his shoulders and stretching out his arms and neck. He could still feel himself trembling from the nightmare.

"Aren't there plenty of supplies in here?" he wondered, surveying box-filled room as if to confirm to himself that they were still there.

The kit was already shrugging on his knapsack, the hilt to his electric Wispon in hand. "This is all food. We gotta find some more medical stuff; gauze and pain-killers would be nice. Besides, sometimes I'll come across something really useful, like batteries or something."

Gadget conceded, and trailed after the two-tailed boy silently.

As the pair headed back up the spiraling stairs, pulling the bookcase aside and following the aberrant pathway back to the front door of the empty shop, the wolf's thoughts began to derail.

All he could focus on was Zero, how jarring the dream had been, how vexed he felt. He hadn't—he hadn't seen Zero since before Eggman took over. He'd just… disappeared, one night, leaving behind nothing but a ghost that had continued to haunt Gadget since. And he'd tried moving on, really. Tried to accept that the jackal was probably dead, but he just _—he couldn't get him out of his head._

And all his friends—how ruthlessly the Egg Pawns had slaughtered them, had deluged his home _—his sanity—_ with their _blood,_ it… Chaos, he was gonna be sick.

The boys stepped into the deserted Westopolis, the warmth of the early afternoon sun spreading from their faces across their bodies. The stagnant, quiet atmosphere was dizzyingly off-putting.

Miles paused, assessing the area as he placed a hand on his hip. "Let's head over there, first."

With an absent nod, the wolf began to follow after him.

They didn't make it very far before a colossal shadow fell over them, though, the hum of an engine looming above. The missiles struck the ground around them before Gadget could even blink.

* * *

As much as his fantasies had seemed to glorify it, being king of the world really was rather exhausting.

Eggman sighed heavily, soreness pinching the region between his shoulder blades as he hunched over his desk, sagging eyes glazed from doing nothing but staring at computer screens all day. Managing supply exports was such a hassle, on top of having to sort out the optimal locations to store their… recent acquisitions.

He had to admit, despite their differences, that Infinite was really quite brilliant. He'd been able to capture Shadow with ease; seizing his emeralds was like taking candy from a baby, after that. The sedative they used was certainly tricky to concoct, and could only be produced in unfortunately small quantities, but it was definitely a recipe he'd keep in mind for the future.

Aside from the exultation of simply obtaining another three Chaos emeralds, however, just about everything else going on was giving him a headache.

The emperor grumbled incoherently to himself, typing away on his keyboard as he sent out more commands and codes to the various databases he had set up across the globe. After all, he was the first true ruler of the entire planet, and henceforth was the first to have to figure out how exactly to maintain his control. And for a mechanic who focused primarily on robots, he ironically felt as though he lacked enough for the job—surely he shouldn't be having to manage all of this on his own, right? He should be kicking back right now, relishing in this life.

Mentally, he made a note to start making more robots that could help him with these menial tasks—which were currently the primary perpetrators for his incessant headaches.

There were, of course, other issues, though.

For one, there was that damned resistance. They were small and barely clinging on—with a little elbow grease, he could probably snuff out the rest of them—but they were certainly rather stubborn.

And just another problem to add on his mountain of them, there's _Infinite._ Sure, he was a great fighter, immensely powerful and surprisingly astute, _but._ All that cleverness and powerful also led to him being rather… fractious. And that trait, in itself, certainly didn't mix well with Eggman's own audacious self.

He found it rather absurd, really. The man had _saved_ him, all those months ago, after he'd been mugged and fatally injured, doing nothing but losing time and blood as his life faded away in the alleyway late at night. That damn dog should've been _grateful_ for him! Grateful that the tyrant had been searching for a test subject for the ruby, grateful that he just so happened to find him and scrape him off the pavement, grateful that he gave him the most amazing gift anybody could give one: unlimited power.

 _"Doctor,"_ hissed a baritone voice through the speakers on his computer, from a signal somewhere in Holoska.

The mad scientist groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and alleviate his pounding head; it didn't do much to help at all. _Well, speak of the devil._

He pressed the button on his mic, temporarily closing out of all the files opened up on his monitor to focus on a grainy image of a certain jackal, standing in a dimly lit room.

"Is there a problem?"

Despite his face being concealed by his silver mask, Infinite was clearly exasperated. _"There is a huge problem, yes."_

Eggman slumped in his seat, exhaustion setting in his shoulders and craned neck. All he wanted was a damn nap, not a conversation that was sure to overstay its welcome and be filled to the brim with bickering—which seemed to be the case just about every time he spoke to Infinite. "Care to fill me in?"

 _"Well, do you want the bad news, or the worse news?"_ the jackal snapped. The Phantom Ruby on his chest could be seen glowing just a bit brighter, a bit warmer, just as agitated as its host, even through the grainy image.

The human drummed his fingers restlessly on his desk. "I suppose the worst of the two, first."

 _"The Master Emerald is missing."_

Eggman just about choked. That was… certainly a big problem. Taking a moment to recompose himself, he asked after a few moments in a low voice, "And what happened to it?"

Infinite cocked his head to the side. _"It seems that it has been stolen, from where we had been researching it to the north of Metal City in some woods. All reinforcements in the area are offline."_ He leaned in a bit to the camera, yellow eye dangerous and spiteful. _"I don't suppose you have any guess as to who might've done it?"_

Throwing his head back, the doctor snarled furiously. He slammed his fists on the desk, jostling his computer. " _Dammit!_ Just when we thought we had the upper hand over those little rodents—"

 _"We've still got three emeralds. Surely that's more than how many they have,"_ the mobian cut in swiftly.

"It's still a major loss, regardless," Eggman bit out. His patience was running _really_ thin with Infinite. "We were—dammit, all of that research with the Phantom Ruby just went down the drain."

 _"What about our records?"_

"It's all useless!" the scientist roared, heat rising up his face. "We were barely scraping the surface of its implications! We barely started! Who _knows_ how its power will continue to affect the Master? And who knows how that stupid resistance will tamper with it? For all we know, they'll figure out how to reverse its effects!"

Infinite crossed his arms. _"They aren't smart enough to even begin to fathom the Ruby's power, let alone counteract it. Besides, I scared off the only remotely intelligent one months ago—that little boy. They won't have a clue of what to do."_

"You better hope they don't," grumbled the man. He let out a long breath, waving to his associate half-mindedly. "I'll start looking into what we can do to get the emerald back. In the meantime, what's the other bad news?"

The jackal hesitated a moment, and in that pause Eggman wished more than anything that he could read his mind. He had practically created Infinite, from that pathetic husk of a dog, and yet he continued to elude him. Infinite was a puzzle that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to decipher.

 _"Metal went offline."_

Eggman bit his tongue, promptly flinching at the tinny flavor it elicited.

The pair of tyrants found themselves stuck in an uneasy silence. Infinite watched warily as the doctor's expression dulled for a few moments, the cogs in his head undoubtedly turning.

"… So," the human began, quieter than before. "Sonic got away. Which means it won't be long before he finds his little friends. And once he's reunited with them—"

 _"They're going to become a lot more fearsome,"_ the mobian finished, sounding equally resigned. They were really getting backed into a corner, now, huh? _"Lucky for us, we've got a plan B. I already filmed the ransom video with that pathetic excuse for an Ultimate Lifeform."_

"And how do you expect to get it to them? Wherever their hideout is, it's off the grid. We don't even know if they have access to technology."

Infinite chuckled coyly, his visible eye wandering. _"You forget we've got one of theirs, doctor."_

Eggman narrowed his gaze. "Shadow used to work for G.U.N. There's no way you could get him to tell you anything. You'd be surprised how loyal he is."

 _"That's true, yes. But you also forget he's currently so drugged up he can't think straight. I was able to get him to tell me the channel they use for their communicators, and with some more snooping around, I found an IP address for one of their computers. I'll send the video to that."_

The obese man grinned. "Clever boy." He paused, contemplating. "Why haven't you sent it yet?"

With a shrug, the other simply said, _"I want to make sure Sonic will be there to see it. Metal only went offline an hour ago; I doubt he's found the resistance yet."_

"Send it in the next forty-eight hours," Eggman ordered, a little disgruntled again. He had already minimized the tab with the jackal's camera, continuing his prior work and only paying half his attention to the other. "The sedative we've administered in Shadow won't last much longer, and I don't want to play sitting ducks while he gains the strength to break out. In the meantime, start searching for leads on the Master Emerald. And also—those emerald shipments better be going smoothly. They need to be locked up in their secure locations ASAP."

Infinite sighed mild annoyance, gritting out, _"Sure, anything else?"_

" _No,_ that's all. You're dismissed," the doctor sneered. And, yes, he did realize that although he minimized his view of the other, the mobian most definitely saw that. But, to be quite frank, he didn't care.

There was a slight pause, and for a moment the man wondered if he was about to receive some backtalk, when the video feed finally cut off. Although, that seemed to express Infinite's annoyance far more than another snide comment would've ever been able to accomplish.

Eggman let out a long, tired groan, slumping in his seat.

He had a lot of work to do.

* * *

 **eggman's shown his face! and he's honestly pretty done w infinite lmao. plus silver's alive and well! gadget is Not Okay! knuckles is also probably not okay but hey Plot Stuff is happening so that's smth right?**

 _ **please r &r i need it to sate my hunger for validation mfhgfdsh**_


	6. beleaguer

**yay a quick update! ur boy had a whole ass four day weekend, so i was able to get a lotta work done :) anyways enjoy, the story continues.**

 **typical warnings. honestly this chapter is pretty mellow compared to the others, so enjoy the somewhat-peace while you can.**

* * *

 **VI.**

 _beleaguer (bəˈlēɡər)_

 _[verb]_

 _to beset with difficulties._

* * *

It took a while for Sonic to regain his consciousness. Cotton seemed to wrap around his head and plug his ears; no matter how many times he blinked and rubbed his eyes, his vision refused to focus; a constant stream of dull pain pulsated across his limp body.

When he finally gained his bearings—for the most part, anyway—the hedgehog found himself confused and lost. He was shrouded in darkness, stalks of trees looming around him like the prelude of a lion pride's feast. His chest felt strangely tight, and each breath elicited only another wince of pain. Fruitlessly, he attempted to sit up against the tree trunk to his back, but his muscles groaned in protest at the movement, and he yielded.

As hearing began to return to him, Sonic became aware of the snaps and flickers of a dwindling flame before him. Blinking a few more times and sniffling, a warm glow overtook his left vision. He glanced over to see a campfire, low and steady, crackling in the middle of the small clearing he lay in. He embraced the heat it radiated welcomingly, humming lowly in the back of his throat and trying to close his eyes again.

The headache pressing to his temples was utterly agonizing, and if he could just—just take a quick nap…

"You're up," a stranger said, their voice startlingly young. Sonic groaned tiredly, trying to crack open his eyes again to get a good look at them. His fuzzy vision began to fail him, before a figure suddenly came into view, inches away from him, and a teal light swarmed his eyesight.

A hand pressed itself to his forehead, and the blue blur immediately sighed in relief as the agony rippling across his body let up, and his senses tuned in more. Now everything wasn't so muffled, and he could see more clearly. The pain was numbed considerably.

Emerald eyes trailed upwards, before locking onto gold.

"Silver!" he rasped, startling. The speedster shifted back to eye his friend in a more comfortable position.

"I fed you some of my Chaos energy. Hopefully it'll help with the pain."

 _Definitely._ A smile traced Sonic's face—although it began to fall when the psychic did not return the same genial look.

The ivory hedgehog then crouched down, resting his arms on his knees, watching Sonic keenly as though he were some science experiment. Skepticism and a grim steeliness pooled in his wide eyes.

Eventually, Silver murmured, "So, you're really Sonic?"

He blinked. "Uh, yeah. Last time I checked, anyways."

Amber orbs cascaded down to his prosthetic arm. A whiplash of painful memories slammed full-force into the cerulean hero, from his imprisonment to the surgery to Metal, and Sonic squirmed uncomfortably under the stare. This—this arm, it wasn't him. It wasn't his arm. It was wrong and it didn't belong and he wanted it _off._

Seeming to note the unease marring the other's face, the time-traveler said, "Last time I saw you, it didn't seem to be the case, so."

That didn't help at all.

Sonic rose a brow. "Okay, Silv? Buddy? You've got some explaining to do."

Huffing in frustration, the younger hedgehog plopped down on the ground and sat adjacent to him, just a few feet away. He drew his knees to his chest, hugging his legs and letting his gaze fall to the ground.

"I don't even know where to begin."

"Okay…" Searching the area, the injured hero swallowed thickly. He was dying of thirst, and he'd kill for a nice bed right about now. "… How about we start with the basics. How'd we get here? Last thing I remember was fighting Metal back in the city, and then…"

"And then, he beat you," Silver filled in, finally meeting his gaze. "I think that's when I arrived. I was able to take down Metal Sonic, and from there I patched you up the best I could and led us here—there were too many robots back there."

Sonic let his head fall back on the ground, gazing up at the stars. Despite the smog drifting above, he could still catch speckles of starlight beaming down. "Alright, that's good. One killer robot, down. But how'd you get here in the first place?"

"Well," the psychic began, "It's a lot. I guess it started after your birthday party—"

"The one with younger me?"

"Yeah. And the future I went to was… Sorta like this, but worse."

Frowning, the speedster turned to send a cocked brow the other's way. "What could be worse than this?"

"Try everyone being enslaved and ten times as many robots."

Sonic hummed thoughtfully at that, and clammed up.

"Anyways," Silver continued, watching the fire ebb away absentmindedly. The glow of the embers lit up the golden flecks in his eyes, chasing away the shadows that normally cloaked his true thoughts and feelings. He was only a year or two younger than Sonic, but he always seemed so much more innocent; undeserving of the fate he'd been handed.

"I followed this weird, negative-energy source and it led me to this huge base. And then—and then I fought this crazy dog guy, and then _you,_ but you were—" he licked his lips quickly, "—you had the robot arm you have now, except it was all old and rusty. And there was this freaky red gem stuck in the middle of your chest, too…"

A beat of silence passed, as both hedgehogs contemplated. Something seemed to slide into place in Sonic's head.

"Okay, two questions. First, who was the crazy dog guy?"

The alabaster hero pursed his lips. "I don't—I think he called himself Infinite?"

Sonic let out a long sigh. "Shit. Okay, second question—what was the 'freaky red gem'?"

"Um… I dunno, but both you and the Infinite guy had it on your chest. I think maybe it made you immortal? Because you were, like, decaying and half-dead. But I'm not sure."

"And I fought you?" the speedster inquired. "Willingly? Or…"

Silver crossed his arms. "I mean, it seemed like it, but you also didn't seem to be in your right mind. I wonder if maybe the red gem was controlling you…?"

Sonic grunted, trying to prop himself up to rest on his forearms and get a better look at Silver. Dull pain reverberated from the—the chillingly large piece of glass jutting from his chest. Oh, right, he'd almost forgotten about _that_ thing. He cringed at the blood caked around it, directing his gaze to his friend.

Seeing the distress in the blue blur's face, the time-traveler held up a placating hand, looking tentative. "Hey—be careful, that stab wound…"

"I'm fine," Sonic brushed off through gritted teeth, because he _was._ He wasn't going to let Infinite and his lackeys reduce him to—to some worthless hedgehog incapable of sitting up on his own. He'd already been degraded enough for the past sixth months.

Silver frowned, before slumping against the tree; it was pointless to argue with the most stubborn guy on the planet. "So, what do you make of all this?"

Screwing up his face in concentration, the azure hero was quiet for a moment. He struggled to see past the fog lurking in his mind, trying to recall everything that happened when he escaped. Metal had been so adamant on capturing him alive, on—on doing something worse to him than they'd ever done before. He could vividly remember the raw fear coursing through his blood, the pure terror, the absolute need to _get away,_ and it sent chills down his spine.

Emerald eyes widened. "… I think that you saved me just in time."

 _"As soon as the Phantom Ruby shard is embedded into you,"_ Metal's words echoed through his head, _"you will no longer be able to resist our power._ "

"Metal-Me was rambling on about how they were gonna put the ruby in me before I passed out," Sonic elaborated, wincing at the idea of that. "I think if you hadn't come in and rescued me, they would've done it, and—and I would've become that zombie-version of me that you saw in the future."

Silver narrowed his eyes, contemplating the theory. "I guess it makes sense. When I used Chaos Control to get there, I focused on getting to the moment where it all went wrong—so I could try and correct it. And it took me to the city, where Metal was dragging you away."

"Wait, you—" the blue blur's heart skipped a beat. " _Chaos Control?_ Do you have an emerald?"

"No," he said. "After I fought evil-you and Infinite, they pushed me into this weird… vortex-thing? And I don't—I can't even begin to describe what it was like. I think it was the source of that negative energy I mentioned earlier, though."

Sonic furrowed his brows. "Vortex-thing?"

"When I went through I was trapped in this weird void. I was lucky there was Chaos energy at all in there, because I was able to tap into it to use Chaos Control. I don't think I'd still be here if I wouldn't have been able too, though—It felt like the negativity was eating me alive."

The cobalt hero tensed at that. "Fucking hell…" he murmured. "And you have no clue what that place was?"

Silver shrugged. "Not really. I think Infinite might've called it… the Null?"

Raising his brows and blowing out of his mouth, Sonic muttered, "Geez, that's not creepy at all."

"It's your turn now," the ivory hero suddenly said, drawing his attention again. "Who's Infinite? And what is the ruby supposed to be, because you clearly know what it is."

Sonic settled back onto the ground, caving to the aching pain in his abdomen. His need to get back on his feet and run would just have to wait a little longer. "Honestly, I don't know much. Infinite is one of Eggman's new henchmen, I guess. He's pretty damn tough, considering he's the one that captured me all those months ago."

"They were holding you captive?" Silver asked in slight astonishment.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I—I'm okay now, though. They just… hurt me a lot, and… ran a bunch of experiments and stuff." Sonic explained quickly; he didn't really want to get into the specifics.

As his eyes fell, a slight mist fell over them and they drifted to his prosthetic arm. The sight of it made him want to gag. "It's what landed me with this—this stupid…" Suddenly he was hovering his flesh hand over the piece of metal, fingers trembling and a fire raging beneath emerald orbs as the urge rose in his chest to _tear it off._ The only thing that stopped him from doing so was the painful memory of when it nearly was torn off in his battle with Metal. He flinched, swallowed thickly, and let his hand fall back to the ground.

"… They just gave it to me. They had to amputate my arm off after a bad injury, and I ended up waking earlier than I was supposed to. I was able to sneak out, but then Metal followed, and… you know the rest."

Sorrow filled the younger hedgehog's gaze. "And… What about the ruby?"

"It's called the Phantom Ruby," Sonic clarified, hastily wiping his eyes. "I don't really know much about it. Just that it's implanted in Infinite's chest, and it makes him crazy powerful. He can do all sorts of, uh, whaddya call em'? Apparitions? Something like that… He can make illusions a reality, and reality an illusion. It—It was strong enough to reduce Mobius to _this._ " He gestured around them, to the thinned out woods and the crumbling city in the distance.

Silver grimaced, opening his mouth to say something else, when it abruptly snapped shut and he stiffened. Sonic frowned at him, about to ask what the problem was, but the other beat him to it by frantically pressing a finger to his lips.

There was a beat of silence, and the blue blur could feel his heartbeat reverberating across his body from anxiety. Was there somebody nearby? What was it that Silver heard? Were they in danger? Did Infinite find them?

Eventually, the ivory hedgehog started towards their dwindling campfire, and snuffed it out with a quick stomp of his boot. He crept over to Sonic, kneeling close to the ground beside him and holding up his hands defensively. Something was clearly very wrong.

"Put your hands in the air."

At the sound of those words, Silver sprung up, teal light wrapping around his palms as he snarled ferociously in the direction of the voice, which was—annoyingly—behind where Sonic lay. He could hear footsteps closing in around them, beneath the shadows of foliage, crunching against the dried up leaves along the forest floor. His quills prickled subconsciously.

"I said, put your hands up," the voice snapped again. It didn't sound familiar to the cerulean hedgehog, but he had no doubt that it was hostile regardless.

Silver wavered a moment, before his scowl deepened and he bit out, " _Fine,_ have it your way."

The psychic thrust his hands forward, and with the action a pulse of turquoise light flung from his palms and slammed into the strangers behind Sonic. He nearly cracked a grin at the sound of them thudding against the ground.

Sonic glanced up to his friend, who was smiling giddily as psychokinetic energy danced around his fingertips, defiance and triumph brandished in his valiant gaze.

And then a dart struck the time-traveler's shoulder, and he faltered, wobbling in place before his limbs fell limp and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Horror took hold of Sonic, and his body went on autopilot as he yanked himself up from the ground. " _Silver!_ "

That was clearly the wrong choice, because as soon as the speedster was standing upright a wave of vertigo slammed into him, his knee screaming in agony at him and burning pain rolling across his entire right side. The hedgehog cried out, vision overwhelmed with static gray as his muscles failed him from the pure pain. He swayed forwards, flailing helplessly for something to stabilize himself. He could vaguely hear more footsteps approaching, and he wanted to _run,_ he wanted to _fight,_ but the pain was so agonizing and his thoughts were lost in a haze of nausea.

Something sharp pricked his back, and sleep was quick to follow.

* * *

The final motobug quickly succumbed to a final swing of her hammer, reduced to nothing but scrap metal. Amy let out a long breath, wiping some sweat from her forehead, taking a few seconds to register the minor stinging sensation on her bicep. She glanced at her arm, sighing tiredly at the thin cut running along it and the trail of blood that streamed down to her fingertip and dripped lethargically on the ground; it was just another useless injury they'd have to waste more bandages on, lest she get an infection.

Amy scanned the battlefield absentmindedly, fatigue settling in her bones. Motobugs and buzz bombers were certainly no problem she couldn't handle, but in such big numbers? It definitely took a toll on the muscles after a while.

With that, she turned on her heel to go check on Knuckles. She hoped at this point that he had been able to run for cover and protect it from the fight.

But the sight she was greeted with across the pit made her stomach flip.

"Knuckles?" she called out, jogging towards her companion. He was unconscious, sprawled across the ground, one mitt clenched tightly to the surface of the Master Emerald. The strawberry hedgehog knelt beside him, trying to pull him closer to her. Strangely enough, his hold on the Master persisted.

A befuddled frown marring her face, Amy rose up again to approach the large jewel, studying the spot where glove met emerald. Careful not to touch the Master itself, in fear that she'd fall unconscious like Knuckles, she tried prying his palm away from its surface.

It wouldn't budge. It was like his hand was super-glued to the thing.

Forgetting about that issue for the time being, Amy knelt beside the guardian again, shaking his shoulders. "Knuckles? Can you hear me?"

She placed a finger beneath his nose, relief washing over her as she felt a small puff of air brush against it. Promptly, the hedgehog peeled open one of his eyes to see a glazed-over amethyst. He was definitely out cold.

 _But why?_

Unease spreading across her, Amy stood up again and surveyed the area. It was completely deserted, save for the abundance of badnik carcasses, not a single sound permeating the atmosphere aside from a light breeze that bristled the treetops.

Her ideas warred for a while in her head, stuck in a confliction between staying with Knuckles and going to find help. The latter eventually won out, and Amy reluctantly scrambled towards the wall of the ditch, starting to crawl up the side to reach ground-level again.

She wasn't sure she had ever run as fast as she did before as she made her way back to the campsite. Not even back when she'd try and catch Sonic, when she'd been foolishly infatuated with him, back when they were kids without worries looming over their heads like heavy rainclouds.

As soon as the warrior reached the clearing, she snagged the walkie-talkie from the ground and did a complete one-eighty, veering around and dashing back towards the pit.

"Rouge? Are you there?" she managed to say into the communicator between gasps of air.

There was a moment's pause, before, _"Oh my Chaos, Amy, are you okay?! You've been MIA for a long time, we thought—"_

"We're okay," Amy assured as she approached the ditch, beginning to slide down its slope again. She jogged up to the unconscious echidna, her heart sinking. "I mean, I think we are. We got ambushed by a bunch of badniks."

 _"But you beat them, right?"_

The bubblegum girl took a few seconds to catch her breath. "Yeah, yeah, I beat them."

 _"Where's Knuckles?"_ Rouge asked, sounding rather panicky.

"He—" Amy nudged his side lightly with the toe of her boot, fruitlessly wondering if maybe he'd stir awake yet. It didn't elicit any reaction. "He's right here, just—we found the Master Emerald."

 _"Holy—are you serious? That's amazing."_

"It is, but…" She frowned, sitting down in the dirt and pulling the echidna close to lay his head in her lap. It was hard to ignore the dark circles under his eyes, how matted his crimson fur was. "We decided to split up for a while—I took on the badniks, and he was supposed to get the M.E. out of danger. But after the battle I found him… Unconscious. And—And something's wrong with the emerald, it's got all these—all this red stuff on it, and… Knuckles' hand, it's stuck to the surface, and I just don't know—"

 _"Hey, hey, Rose, honey, calm down. Is he breathing?"_

Amy swallowed thickly. "Y-Yes."

 _"Okay,"_ the bat said evenly. _"That's what's important right now. He's alive. We'll figure out the Master Emerald later. Give me your coordinates, and we'll come pick you up."_

The hedgehog tapped a button on the screen of the walkie-talkie, letting it load the GPS before reciting the string of numbers to Rouge. The agent said some things to somebody else on her end, before assuring Amy that they'd be there soon, and to just stay where she was.

She sighed, massaging Knuckles' temples as his head rested in her lap.

They'd figure this out.

They had to.

* * *

A strange heat spread rapidly to his neck and back, and Miles' eyes widened as he hastily thrust his hand into the side pocket of his knapsack. In a split second, the fox yanked out a small device no larger than his palm, painted black with a single cyan light blinking on the face of the object, and chucked in over in Gadget's direction.

Rockets rained down all around them, plumes of fire and smoke groping outwards with its hungry tendrils. The device the kit threw hit the ground only a millisecond after the missiles did, and a wall of turquoise light leapt out from it, forming a large bubble and him and Gadget. Both mobians were still knocked off their feet from the mere impacts of the rockets.

"Holy—what just…?!" the wolf stammered, flipping himself onto his back. He watched in some mix of awe and horror as the flames rolled over the strange force-field, fighting feverishly to break through and burn into him.

Miles was already clambering onto his feet, the whip-form of his electric Wispon curled on the ground like a golden snake. He tossed the older male the red weapon. "We need a plan. This shield won't last long, especially under the force of the missiles."

Gadget bit his lip, before rising up tentatively and glancing around them. It was hard to see anything past the inferno wall of smog. The asphalt under their feet trembled every few seconds with the impact of another rocket.

"So what do we do when it breaks?"

The fox flicked his wrist, snapping his whip against the ground. "We run." He paused to point a finger to somewhere behind Gadget. Just barely visible past the explosions, they could spot a large, dark figure only a hundred meters away. "That's our target."

With an incredulous scoff, the wolf threw Miles a slightly frightened look. "Wha—You, you wanna go _towards_ the giant monster thing trying to blow us up?!"

Another explosion sounded against the top of the force-field, and it thinned considerably. Their shield was fading fast. "Believe me, that's no monster. It's a robot."

One last missile fell, the flames tumbling across the ground vigorously before slamming into the transparent wall and breaking past it. A blistering heat crept up the pair's sides, and without hesitation Miles grabbed Gadget's wrist and sprung forwards.

The scarlet mobian released a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, his legs moving on autopilot as he struggled to keep up with the boy dragging him along. He noticed, oddly, that Miles was spinning his tails like some sort of propeller for supposedly extra speed. It made him start to wonder, deliriously, if any of this was even real.

Up above, more rockets fell through the air like golden raindrops. One dropped right in front of their path, and Gadget nearly screamed because oh _Chaos_ they were going to die, when the two-tailed fox threw his free arm up, his whip gliding through the air before snagging around the missile. Miles twirled around, pulling the rocket through the air with him, before yanking it in the directing of the behemoth up ahead. It sailed through the air for a few seconds before colliding into the massive silhouette, knocking it backwards.

Gadget laughed breathily, clutching the side of his head to try and process everything, but the boy genius was already grabbing his hand and pulling him along again.

The duo finally escaped the haze of dark smoke to get a better look at their adversary, but it only made the wolf's blood run cold. Standing mere feet away from them was a towering, twenty-something foot tall mech. It's body was egg-shaped, wielding a titanium lance and shield. Rockets continuously protruded and shot out from its chest and pauldrons, twirling haphazardly through the air.

"What the hell is that?!" Gadget cried, starting to retreat backwards.

Miles smirked challengingly, not tearing his sapphire eyes from the giant robot for a second. "He used to call it the Egg Emperor."

"You—you _know_ what this thing is?!" the wolf blubbered. "You've _fought_ one before?!"

He thumbed his nose. "Years ago, under different circumstances, yeah. Just stay close, I can—"

As the kit spoke, he was caught off guard when the Egg Emperor swung its bronze lance forwards in one swift motion. The weapon itself didn't come close to grazing them, but with the motion a shockwave of golden light surged forwards at a startling pace and knocked right into Miles. He was thrown backwards into the wall of a building.

" _Miles!_ "

Without hesitation, the mech proceeded to jab its sword into the road, the ground itself cresting upwards from the force. Gadget tried to leap over the wave of asphalt, but he was knocked off his feet. His Wispon skidded a couple feet away from him.

And this—this _chilling,_ raw fear seized him up, crawled down his spin and brought tears to his eyes. His vision was coming in and out of focus, but he could still see Miles, collapsed in the crater he made in the wall, he could still see his Wispon out of reach, he could still see the Egg Emperor over his shoulder, preparing a finishing blow.

No, no, they were going to die. He had to get away, he had to save Miles, he had to _run._

The wolf scrambled to his feet, sprinting forwards and swiping the crimson pistol off the ground. Not wasting another second, he ran up to the barely conscious fox, and pulled him up. Miles wavered for a moment, groaning and clutching his head, but Chaos, they didn't have time. Gadget squeezed the boy's wrist in a firm grip and dragged him away from the calamity in Westopolis, keeping his eyes trained on the desert in the outskirts. Warmth continued to claw at their backs, missiles surely following them, but Gadget didn't focus on it. _He had to save them, he had to run._

They soon reached the edge of the city, the rubble beneath their feet turning to dust and sand and dead grass. The echoes of explosions grew more and more distant.

Eventually they found some foliage, and Gadget pulled Miles into it to duck behind a tree. They'd definitely lost the Egg Emperor by this point, but he was still anxious.

"Hey, hey, buddy. You with me?" he asked worriedly, shaking the fox's shoulders as he laid him against the tree trunk.

Miles blinked slowly, eyes watering. Blotches of soot ran across his body (and Gadget's), accompanied with scratches and bruises. There didn't appear to be any grave injuries—except maybe a concussion.

"Shit," the teenager bit out, pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead. He let out a low groan before looking up at Gadget in question, looking slightly disoriented. "What—Did you… Did you stop the robot?"

"Um," the wolf dawned a sheepish look, daring a glance back over towards the skyscrapers in the distance. A flurry of flames still danced high in the air, and he could vaguely see the golden outline of the Egg Emperor in the midst of the chaos, stalking around menacingly. "… Not exactly. But we're safe, that's what matters."

Miles frowned a bit at that, and Gadget almost probed him about it, when something else caught his eye and he gasped sharply.

"Oh, shoot!" the wolf breathed, searching the area around them like he was looking for something he dropped.

The fox narrowed his eyes, murmuring, "What?"

"I just—you're bleeding," Gadget said, finally deciding to pull off his boot and take off his sock.

Miles made a face. "Yeah, so are you, Sherlock."

The older mobian was already bringing the white sock up to the other's face. "No, but—you've got a bad cut right on the side of your head, below your ear."

Skeptically, Miles touched two fingers to the side of his head, as his brain didn't quite seem to be registering the pain of the injury yet. He grimaced as his fingertips became coated in a steady stream of blood, and begrudgingly allowed Gadget to tie the sock around his right ear, to apply some pressure.

"You must've gotten it from when you crashed into the building back there," the wolf muttered, sitting back once the cloth was in place. "You alright? Feel woozy?"

"I'm fine, _mom,_ " the fox replied, teasingly. The faintest smile traced his face, and surely enough it elicited a light chuckle from Gadget. It was funny—they'd only known each other for less than twenty-four hours, and yet they were already fussing over each other like—like _brothers._

Miles' grin fell, as a sharp pang struck his chest. _Brothers._

He swallowed thickly, reeling from that thought. _Not now. Can't think about that now. Not after—not… No._ He pulled himself up, only wobbling slightly. "Come on, we should go."

Gadget hesitated. "Don't you wanna rest up for just a few minutes? It's not like we're in a rush to be anywhere, and you've… sorta got blood still dripping down your face."

 _No._ Sitting here, not doing anything—it left him to nothing but his thoughts, and he just—Chaos, he couldn't deal with that now.

 _(Six months. All his fault. Coward.)_

 _(Murderer.)_

" _No!_ " he snapped, tensing up. Gadget recoiled a bit. Miles paused, sucked in a breath, and peeled open his eyes. In a low, dead tone, he amended his outburst with, "… Sorry, we just—we should get further away from Westopolis. The Egg Emperor could still be looking for us."

Swallowing a knot in his throat, the scarlet canine nodded and stood up. "… Right. Where to?"

"Well…" Miles trailed off, trying to think of their options. Going back to the convenience store was a no-go, at least for a long time. They couldn't risk getting caught again. They could try and make it over to the next big city, but that had to be hundreds of miles away, and for all they knew it was overrun with twice as many badniks. He briefly contemplated sending Gadget off to the Resistance to resume his solo act, but he didn't even know where their base was.

"Maybe we could find a car," Gadget suggested, seeing the fox struggle to find a solution. "With your brains—and technology—I'm sure we could hotwire one, or something."

But cars were a rarity, nowadays, and half the time their engines were smashed in or their wheels blown off. But maybe Gadget was right, maybe they needed some sort of transportation, some sort of— _oh._

He mulled the thought over in his head, chewing the inside of his cheek and wringing his hands uneasily. Should he? It was a dangerous idea in itself—they'd have to go near one of Eggman's bases, and for all he knew they'd get spotted… But if they succeeded, if they found it, then they could travel virtually anywhere.

(And sure, there was also the prospect of that location bringing up _certain,_ revolting memories, but he elected to suppress those thoughts for the time being.)

"Come on," Miles finally said, beginning his trek through the flatlands. "I know where to go."

Gadget eyed him curiously for a moment, before jogging up to the teenager to walk beside him. "May I ask where that is, exactly?"

The fox sighed, eyeing the silhouette of a large building off on the horizon, just barely visible. "It's a junkyard. I left something there a few months ago that might be able to help us."

He just hoped it wouldn't get them killed, too.

* * *

The days blurred together in an endless torrent of misery, and he wanted nothing more than for it to end. Shadow was _tired._ The constant cycle of getting visits from his captors, only to be taunted and sliced open, followed with hours of isolation where he was left to tend to his own, deteriorating thoughts, was so _tedious,_ so _sickening,_ that he could barely think anymore.

And in truth, the long periods of silence and seclusion were almost a comfort. At the very least, they were a relief from the torture that Infinite wrought when he was present.

He thought about Sonic a lot. Had dreams, hallucinations, bouts of reminiscing about him. Sometimes he'd be underneath a willow tree in the middle of the night, gazing into emerald eyes that seemed to light up the world, that seemed ten times brighter than any star twinkling above them. Sometimes he'd be stuck in this damn chair, the handcuffs chafing his wrists, as he watched Sonic receive the torture he already was, tenfold. Sometimes they'd be in bed together, simply resting in each other's arms on their honeymoon, celebrating their marriage.

But always, _always,_ they were lies. He'd always blink open his eyes again to the same dark, empty cell.

The sedatives chugging through his system made Shadow feel sluggish and woozy, and time seemed to constantly flip between fleeting away, and hardly moving. It made him wonder if he was going to die soon, locked away in this pathetic cell where nobody would ever hear of him again. And he honestly wasn't sure what was worse: dying now, forgotten from the world, or later, having to endure possibly an eternity more of suffering.

But Shadow knew, regardless, that he couldn't live like this. Not without Sonic, without his friends, without his freedom. Just being stuck in this chair was a hell in itself, his hands bound and thoughts muddled. He could hardly think straight, he could hardly function.

He wondered, for a while, how long it was going to take for the drugs to kill him. He wondered if they'd kill him at all.

And if they did, he wondered if, maybe then, he'd get to see Sonic again.

* * *

 **ahaha i just had to include more angst at the end there, what'd you expect?**

 **shadow's Sad, sonic and silver are in some deep water, miles and silver are headed _somewhere,_ and amy & knux are on their way home!**

 **sorry this chap was a little slow, but it was still v necessary for the plot. next one will be a little more,,, interesting.**


	7. encounter

**hahaHA fuckers u thought this fic was dead huh? well its Not i finally finished this chapter and i've conquered my writer's block :)**

 **enjoy the angst! typical warnings, you know the drill.**

* * *

 **VII.**

 _encounter (enˈkoun(t)ər)_

 _[verb]_

 _to come upon unexpectedly._

* * *

When Silver came to, he was painfully aware of the blinding lights cast on his face. He grumbled restlessly, squirming as his muscles began to stir and an achiness registered across his back from laying against something stiff for too long. It took a solid few minutes to adjust to the harsh lighting.

And then his heart sank a little, because he then realized he was stuck in a cell.

The hedgehog was leaned against a cool, steel wall—surely the perpetrator of his back pain—and a few lamps were propped up and beaming right at him, just five or so feet away, on the other side of the bars. Thick metal braces engulfed his entire hands, keeping them stuck together and useless; his ankles were shackled to the floor.

As the numb began to flee from his body, Silver was able to will his head to tip upwards, meeting the eye of a mobian wearing unfashionable gear—clearly these people favored protection over looks.

(Which was notably strange, because since when did _Eggman_ not care about being stylistic?)

"Who're you guys?" the psychic asked, his tongue not quite cooperating as his words slurred. The sedatives were still dwindling away in his system.

The man outside his cell held up his rifle, to aim it through the bars at his head. It only provoked a trembling smirk from the drained hedgehog.

 _Idiots. As if cuffing his hands inhibited his powers._

But—no. He'd play along for a little bit. Test the waters.

The armored stranger's finger twitched over the trigger. "We have some questions for you," he said, completely ignoring Silver's own question. "Why were you spying on us?"

His taunting grin fell to an uneasy frown. Spying? The hell did that mean? He and Sonic had only been— _oh shit._

"Where's Sonic?" the prisoner demanded, a fire dancing beneath his eyes. He was getting tired of sitting around. He had to take matters into his own hands.

The man was silent for a moment, before dipping his gun down. "See, that's what's so strange. Sonic the Hedgehog is presumed dead, and yet we have an exact replica of him one cell over. Maybe you could provide some insight?"

 _Dead?_

Silver faltered for a few seconds, trying to formulate some sort of plan because none of this was making any sense, when—"Unless you'd like us to confront him instead? And we don't have to play nice cop, you know."

"Okay," the psychic bit out, his shoulders quivering. "That's it. Playtime's over."

Without another second to waste, Silver rose to his feet, his entire body shaking from exhaustion. He shut his eyes, willing his Chaos energy to congregate in his palms, before releasing a burst of psychokinetic force from each hand. The cuffs immediately shattered, and with newly freed arms, the hedgehog thrust them forwards as teal light wrapped around the cell bars and threw them forwards, into the man on the other side.

The armored mobian yelped as the iron bars pushed him to the ground, and Silver seized the chance to yank his ankles free from the chains in the ground, with a mere flick of the wrist. Red lights began to flicker in the room, an 'escaped prisoner' alarm chanting endlessly over the speakers. Dread started to pool in the pit of his stomach but—no, now wasn't the time to panic. He had to find Sonic and _get out of here._

"Sonic?! Where are you, man?" he cried out, searching the area frantically and fighting relentlessly against the fatigue dragging him down. His temples pulsated and his vision grayed slightly; he was moving too fast for his own body to comprehend, because the damn drugs were still clogging up his head and muting his senses, but Chaos, he didn't have time to think about that now. He had to get out before things got even worse.

Luckily, it only took the hedgehog a few minutes of darting down a hallway before finding a room practically identical to his own, complete with a cell inside and more soldiers standing guard. _Unluckily,_ it seemed they had been anticipating him to show up.

A shower of gunfire burst through the glass window in the door, and Silver was quick to leap to the side to avoid it. The torrent of bullets never ceased, but he could hear shouting from the inside and shuffling footsteps. There was no time to waste.

With a mighty battle cry, Silver charged forwards, freezing the barrage of shells with a simple flick of his wrist, before letting them clatter to the ground unceremoniously. At the sound of frustrated yelling, the psychic pushed through the door.

Three bickering guards halted upon his entry, before swiftly aiming their rifles right for his head. Silver merely pointed a hand at them, before brushing his fingers upwards slightly; the barrels of the guns were bent upwards in unison with the motion.

The soldiers were petrified at that, and with an impish smirk, the ivory mobian engulfed the trio in a veil of turquoise, before chucking them into the wall to the left and rendering them unconscious.

From behind the bars, a certain blue hedgehog stuck in the same predicament as he was—cuffs, shackles, and all—gazed wearily at him, a small grin playing at his lips.

They shared a knowing glance, before Silver started forwards to pry the bars aside—which bent like clay, thanks to his powers. He knelt beside his friend to start freeing him from his restraints.

As he grabbed the hero's hand to help him to his feet, Sonic murmured a soft, "Thanks." Seeming just slightly uncomfortable with how _not-cool_ that sounded, though, he tacked on, "I really wasn't looking forwards to being a prisoner again," but it only elicited a grim look from Silver.

"Here, put your arm over my shoulders," the time-traveler said, as he noticed just how much Sonic's wounds were troubling him. The blue blur complied easily, and Silver proceeded to practically drag him towards the door. He felt somewhat at ease knowing he had saved his friend, but panic still stirred in his chest from the blaring alarms overhead and the impending thought that more guards could show up any second.

Both hedgehogs breathed out a unanimous sigh of relief when they stepped out into an empty hallway.

"So, uh," Silver huffed out between breaths (he was basically carrying Sonic, give him a break), "Any clue who these people are?"

The speedster gave him a funny look. "Yeah, geez, I wonder who it could be. Maybe the evil scientist that's been trying to kill us?" The sarcasm still oozed out of his words, despite how croaky and slurred they were.

Silver shook his head. "No, I don't think it's Eggman. The guy that was watching my cell said they thought you were some sorta clone, because apparently everyone thinks you're dead. And that doesn't make any sense, because Eggman literally held you captive up until, like, a day ago."

Voices could be heard in the distance, and they took that as their cue to speed up their pace a bit and lower their tones.

Sonic scrunched up his face in confusion. "Yeah, that's weird."

"Besides," the psychic muttered, "I thought Eggman only stuck to robots, not people."

"That's what I thought too," was his reply, "But then he hired Infinite."

"Hey!" someone shouted, a female, from behind them. The duo froze, and Silver used his psychokinesis to grab hold of a wooden crate to use as a projectile. "Stop right th—"

The voice faltered as the hedgehogs began to turn around, which only perplexed them even more.

And then they locked eyes with their enemy.

" _… Rouge?_ "

* * *

They only took breaks in small increments, wanting to beat the sunset in reaching their destination. The first hour or so was deathly silent, and Gadget felt like he could hardly breathe from how disgustingly tense the air around them seemed to be. Miles wasn't mad or anything, no; just lost in his own world, a world that the wolf wondered if he'd get the chance to peek into.

Trailing a foot or so ahead of him, the fox absently thumbed at the straps of his knapsack. His steps were slow and almost uncoordinated, like he wasn't thinking straight. It was in the hour of silence that Gadget warred with himself over whether or not he should say anything.

His apprehensions eventually caved to a cresting feeling of seclusion, and he finally just _had_ to speak before it drowned him entirely. "So, Miles… What was your life like before all this?"

And instantly the wolf winced, because okay, maybe he should've started with a lighter subject. Clearly the boy was not entirely at peace with his past.

There was a solid beat of silence, and Gadget wondered if the kid was going to start getting defensive and crying again or even ignore him altogether, when—"It was nice."

With a few hasty steps, the scarlet mobian caught up to walk side-by-side with Miles. "Yeah?"

The kit hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah. I had a lot of really great friends."

"Had?" Gadget found himself blurting, and his face flushed a bright red because _fuck_ he really had no filter, did he?

Miles just shook his head. "They're still alive… most of them. I just—I had to leave them. For my own reasons."

"Oh," he said lamely. Swallowing, Gadget tried to continue the conversation without treading onto some thin ice. "… What about, um, family?"

Something foggy and misty drifted across the boy's teal eyes. "They _were_ my family," he murmured, so low the wolf nearly missed it. Miles paused, then cleared his throat and blinked the look of reminiscence away quickly. "What about you?"

"Um," Gadget stammered, trying to piece together his thoughts because holy hell, he missed _before_ so bad that it hurt. "… Well, I already told you about—about my friends. I didn't really know them all too well, but we were a group and we stuck together. We'd been hiding in one of the college dorms on my old campus before… You know."

Miles' gaze wandered absentmindedly, but he was listening. "What about your family, though?"

The wolf shrugged. "I just lived with my mom when I came home from college. My dad was this—" he faltered, like he couldn't quite find the right words. "… This asshole of a guy, and I haven't seen him since he moved out, and frankly after what he did to us? I don't care where he ended up. I do still worry about my mom, though…"

Miles remained silent, keenly studying Gadget's somber face. There was something he wasn't saying.

"… There was also this guy," the ruby mobian finally said. He wrung his hands uncomfortably. "We started dating for a few months in college, and we got really close, but… He disappeared, a few weeks before the war started."

The fox furrowed his brows. "He just disappeared?"

"Yeah." Gadget gave a dismayed nod. "He was working late one night and never came home. His parents never heard back from him and his boss had no clue either."

Miles eyed his companion sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I—I know what it's like to lose someone you love, too."

The wolf nodded, his gaze melancholy. "Thanks, it's nice to know someone else that gets it."

Gadget opened his mouth to continue the conversation—and possibly veer into a lighter subject—when the kit pressed a hand to his chest, halting him immediately. He startled at the abruptness of Miles' action, and nearly questioned him for it before his mind caught up and registered their location.

They stood on the outskirts of a massive junkyard (vaguely, he recalled Miles mentioning this, back outside the city) congested with mountains' worth of scraps and garbage so piled up Gadget could barely make out the ground. A few hundred meters away, on the opposite side of the yard, a large, gray building—which looked more like a block of concrete and steel than anything else—stood amongst the compost. Emblazoned across each wall was a crimson emblem of a particular madman's face, complete with a wiry mustache and crooked teeth. Miles sneered at the sight, before trekking forwards into the mounds of garbage.

"This is—" the wolf murmured, following reluctantly after the fox, "—this is one of Eggman's bases. Are you sure this is safe?"

Miles was quiet for a moment. "We don't have any other options. Just keep your head low and your voice down."

Gadget nearly refuted, but after stealing another frantic glimpse at the base a ways away, cold and dark and undoubtedly brimming with robots programmed for bloodlust, he swallowed his words and abided.

After a few minutes of precarious steps and ducking behind hills of garbage, the pair came into a small clearing. Miles faltered in his stride, hands trembling just slightly as he wandered uneasily forwards.

The wolf came to a stop as the fox began rummaging through the side of one of the trash-mountains, amber orbs falling to his feet. He stood just on top of a scarlet splatter, and it was faded and dried, but he could still recognize it as blood. Something cold and hard settled in the pit of his stomach.

Deciding he did _not_ want to think about whatever had happened here, Gadget peered back up at Miles to see what he was up to. His heart fluttered when his eyes landed on a _biplane_ of all things, tattered and worn, and its red paint so vivid it looked like it'd spring to life at any moment.

"Holy shit," he breathed, a bewildered smile finding its way to Gadget's face as he approached the boy. "Is that—?"

"How pitiful. A _mutt_ is scavenging around in the dumpster."

The grin was wiped right from his face, hair standing on end as his limbs fell limp and icy. Gadget turned slowly to the source of the voice, eyes blown wide in absolute horror because he had heard stories about this monster, he'd heard exactly what he was capable of, but now he was _here_ and he was going to die.

Infinite's laugh felt like thorns digging into his chest, low and sharp and venomous. A veil of deep red energy cloaked him as he levitated just a foot above the ground, talons curling and visible eye narrowing from beneath the silver mask. Gadget barely let out a whimper before the jackal rushed forwards, catching him in a chokehold and dangling him above the ground.

The tyrant chuckled bitterly, squeezing harder as the wolf clawed fruitlessly at his iron grip. His vision quickly became spotty and his head light, and he wheezed so hard it hurt but he just couldn't breathe.

"You're pathetic," Infinite sneered, and Gadget was sure that his lips were purple as he kicked wildly against him. "You came crawling right into the wolf's den, and for what? Were you hoping I'd come and kill you?"

And he almost—he almost forced out some witty remark, because he's an idiot, but something was—something was off. The piercing yellow eye that shone through the mask, blinding and scathing and absolutely lost in the haze of red that snaked around them both, something about it was so jarring and—and his dreadlocks, now a dull gray and exceedingly messy and matted, as they wandered behind Infinite's head like tendrils, and—

And his _voice._ It was contorted and warbled and above all else fucking demonic, but he knew that voice. Beneath all the alterations, beneath the cloak of energy, there was something familiar.

Gadget grunted against the chokehold, just barely prying away ebony claws to bite out a single word, a name, spinning and twirling and blaring across his mind because what the fuck, there was no way, how— _how was this possible._

"… Zero?"

A lot happened, all at once. Infinite stilled at the mere utterance of the name, his grip subconsciously loosening on Gadget's throat. Something exploded from behind the jackal that he couldn't see, but the pure sound of it made his ears pound and stab his skull in pain. And then Infinite screamed in a sudden agony, body convulsing as he released him and collapsed.

Gadget hit the ground in a matter of seconds, trembling and heaving as tears burned at his eyes.

* * *

As soon as they reached the gates of the base, they were ushered inside from a frenzy of people before she could get a single word out. Before she even caught her breath, Amy found herself sitting beside a still-unconscious Knuckles, his hand still glued to the Master Emerald, in the middle of a large, empty chamber. It was relatively dark and the air felt somewhat thick with each breath, which was understandable enough. The room was designed to contain a large fluctuation of Chaos energy like the emeralds, to make it nearly undetectable from the outside—so what if it was a little humid?

The hedgehog sighed wearily and leaned her head on Knuckles' shoulder, who was now propped up against a pillow, combing her fingers through his scalp in a placating manner. She didn't know if he was aware of what was happening, where he was and how he got here, but she hoped he could at least feel a little comfort in her presence. Every now and then his muscles would twitch and jerk, and he'd murmur something so soft it sounded like a whine. It made her heart twist in pain and it _sucked,_ because she just felt so useless.

Espio lingered by the door across the room, simply instructed to stay with the pair and make sure they were okay—Rouge and the others seemed rather preoccupied with, well, _something_ else, but frankly Amy wasn't concerned about that at the moment.

She exhaled slowly, exhaustion starting to settle in her bones as a headache pulsed at her temples. Knuckles' shoulder was comfortable, at least.

And she nearly _—just barely—_ dozed off right there, before a loud gasp cut through the air and the body she leaned against jolted awake.

Amy's eyes snapped open and she scooted away a bit to get a good look at the echidna. Knuckles took shaky breaths, violet eyes locked on the palm of his now freed hand.

"Hey," she said, keeping her tone low and gentle. He startled, regardless, before recognition flashed over his wild gaze and he breathed out in relief. The hedgehog placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

He seemed jittery still, but swallowed thickly and blew out slowly through his mouth. "Y-Yeah, I just—fuck, what happened?"

"Um," she started, elegantly, fumbling for words. "We found the Master Emerald. But you… I don't know what happened to you. I found you touching it, unconscious. The resistance brought us back here."

Knuckles frowned at his palm, before placing it on the ground and casting a wary glance at the verdant gem beside himself. The blotches of red crystallization taunted him, spreading lethargically across the surface like some sort of virus, doomed to corrupt the Master. It made his chest feel tight with anxiety.

"Do you know what happened to you?" Amy asked, carefully.

He chewed the inside of his cheek. "I entered the Special Zone. Spoke to Tikal."

She righted herself, interest piqued. "Really?"

"Yeah," the guardian said. His eyes grew distant. "I've gone there before, many times, but this time was—everything was so unstable, so out of control. _Tikal was so scared._ "

Amy nodded to him, urging him to continue. Her drowsiness was replaced with a swelling apprehension.

"She was trying to warn me," he explained. Knuckles pointed to the emerald, to the chunks of red in particular, disgust flickering in his stare. "That stuff on the Master—she doesn't even know what it is, but it's bad. She said it'd make her collapse completely, that it'd—" He looked at the hedgehog dead-on, his face grave. "Amy, this could destroy the entire universe."

She let out a shaky breath, trying to steady herself because, okay, this was not good. "Okay… Alright. Okay. We'll figure this out. There has to be some way—"

"Hey!"

The pair turned to the entrance to see a rather delighted Rouge strutting into the room, smiling congenially to Espio, who returned the gesture with a light nod. The agent continued towards Amy and Knuckles, her face lighting up even more to see the latter awake.

"Good, you're up," the bat said with a wide smile.

Knuckles huffed tiredly, rubbing his forehead. "Rouge, now isn't the time. We've got a problem on our hands and it's _urgent._ "

Rouge frowned. "Okay, well, I've got some _good_ news that I think outranks your bad news. Wanna come with me for a second?"

"No," the fuchsia hedgehog said. "Knuckles is right, we don't have time to—"

"Amy," the bat said, her voice lowered and her chipper smile gone, "I'm serious. Come with me. Espio will stay with the emerald."

Begrudgingly, the duo stood up and followed after her.

* * *

After an admittedly very strange day, Knuckles wasn't quite sure what he was expecting. And honestly, he didn't think much could catch him off guard after the absolute mess of today's events.

Yet here he stood, in the doorway of a once unoccupied dorm that two hedgehogs he had not seen in _quite some time_ were now resting in. One of them was a pleasant surprise, albeit a little confusing. The other nearly made him keel over.

Sonic the _fucking_ Hedgehog grinned from his bed, bags hanging under his eyes. "Heya, Knucklehead. Ames. Long time, no see, eh?"

At his side, Silver cradled the only Chaos Emerald the resistance had, working on healing various wounds littered across the blue blur's body. "Hi, guys."

Amy cupped her hands over her mouth, letting out an unabashed sob as tears trickled down her face. In an instant she ran to her best friend, hugging the speedster so tight he grunted and wiggled in the embrace.

" _Oh Chaos,_ " she muttered into his shoulder.

Sonic chuckled lightly, patting her back. "I missed you too, Ames."

Still frozen in the doorway, Knuckles' words failed him, and his knees threatened to buckle. He had to put his weight against the frame, staring at Sonic like he'd seen a ghost, because to be fucking frank that was exactly what he was looking at.

"… Shadow said—" he mumbled, tongue feeling like cotton.

"Don't worry," Silver calmly said. "Rouge caught us up. We can explain everything."

Amy pulled away slightly, sniffling. Her brows furrowed. "What happened to your arm?"

Sonic smiled, but it was a tired and worn down smile that looked like it had nearly been ripped apart, multiple times, since she'd last seen him. "It, uh, it's been a long couple of months."

* * *

He gave them a basic rundown, from being captured, to getting his new arm, to escaping and finding Silver, to the huge misunderstanding of being mistakenly captured again by the resistance before coming across Rouge.

The entire conversation felt—it felt surreal, and not just the story he told. Sonic didn't think he'd ever get the chance to lay in a comfortable bed again, with an IV in his hand and wrappings around his knee, as warmth spread into his side from Silver's work at mending the stab wound. He didn't think he'd get to see any of his friends again, let alone have Amy at his side, squeezing his good arm in comfort, or Knuckles approach him to ruffle his quills playfully, or just—

Chaos, he was just actually happy for the first time in months. Truly content. He felt _safe._

Anxiety continued to gnaw at the back of his thoughts, regardless. "—But enough about me," he said offhandedly. "I clearly missed a lot too. Where's everyone else?"

Suddenly Amy's gaze fell, and she refused to meet his eyes when he looked at her. Something was wrong.

The mood seemed to fall significantly and it just made Sonic's heart beat faster because fuck, _what now._ All he could think about was how the two most important people in his life were not here.

"Ames?" he pressed, voice soft. "Where is everyone?"

She caved and met his eyes, though hers were a tad glossy. She inhaled sharply. "Well, Shadow's been out hunting emeralds for the past few weeks. We've been staying in contact with him—I think the last I heard, he'd just entered Holoska?"

Rouge shook her head, something concerned dawning on her face. "Actually, he hasn't checked in, in probably over twenty-four hours. I've been so preoccupied with—" she beckoned all around the room, "—with all of _this,_ I forgot all about him."

The silence was suddenly so thick they could cut it with a knife.

"I'm gonna go see if I can contact him," the bat said hastily, and she was trying to stay calm but they could all read the panic in her eyes as she sped out of the room.

Sonic paused; contemplated. Shadow wasn't here, but he was okay. They had lost contact with him for a little bit, but _surely_ everything was okay. Because he had to be okay. _He had to be._

He looked to Amy again, who bit her lip and squirmed under his gaze. "Everyone else is here or running patrols around the vicinity, but… Tails is missing."

Ice flooded Sonic's veins.

Seeming to spot the absolute horror on the hero's face, Knuckles knelt beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I know, man, I know. Look, the day you were—you were captured, Tails… perceived that differently. He thought you died. That's why we all thought you died, because that's what he told us." The echidna bowed his head, almost shamefully. "He said he needed space, time to think, I don't know. But he ran away. We haven't heard a word from him since."

"But," the speedster stammered. "But I'm not dead. I'm okay. We—We have to find him—"

"Sonic," Amy cut in, her voice level and somber. "That was months ago. Trying to find him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He could be anywhere."

Before he could get in another word, Knuckles added, "Plus, we've got some more pressing issues to worry about right now. The Master Emerald is… not doing too good."

The strawberry hedgehog stared unwaveringly at the blue blur, and squeezed his arm tighter. Her eyes were starting to water. "He's a smart kid," she said. "He can take care of himself. I promise."

Sonic pressed his lips together tightly, looking so unbelievably distraught and frustrated and it just made Amy's heart ache for him, because she _knew,_ she knew _exactly_ what he was going through. She was just as upset when she had found out about their friend's disappearance, all those months ago.

Eventually the azure male sighed, and his gaze fell to his lap. "… Fine," he conceded, although he didn't look happy about it. But he knew they were right. The fate of the world was more important than Tails—as painful as that was to say. Sonic locked eyes with Knuckles. "What's wrong with the M.E., exactly?"

The echidna shifted, feeling antsy. "I think that's the problem—we aren't entirely sure. Amy and I had just found it outside one of Eggman's bases, but when I touched it I got, like, sucked into the Special Zone."

Sonic quirked a brow in mild surprise. "It's been a while since I was in there."

"It wasn't the same, though," Knuckles muttered. "There's this red stuff all over the Master, and the Special Zone was just as corrupted. It was all… chaotic and muddled. Tikal was trying to warn me about it. She said this could destroy the entire universe if it gets any worse."

Silver finally jumped in, looking wary and confused. "Hang on, red stuff? Like—Like the Phantom Ruby?"

The guardian shrugged. "I dunno, maybe? It was more like these, these little crystals. But it was emitting a similar energy, now that I think about it."

"And what about the Special Zone?" the psychic pressed, looking more frantic by the second. "Elaborate on it. What was it like in there?"

Knuckles swallowed thickly. "Um, I don't know. It was—it was really dark, and kind of reddish. I felt like I could hardly breathe in there, and there was this… This overwhelming sense of negative energy. I thought it was gonna drown me."

Silver inhaled sharply, and whispered in a voice so quiet they could hardly hear him, " _The Null._ "

"Sorry, the what now?" Amy asked.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh, Chaos, Silv—I think you're right."

Knuckles gave him a look. "Okay, can you two please explain this epiphany you're having to us?"

Without hesitation the words just spewed out of Silver's mouth, growing faster by the second as they stumbled over each other and he hardly caught his breath. Everything suddenly clicked into place—in the bad future with Infinite and the brainwashed Sonic, the 'Null' he'd been pushed into, it was the Special Zone, it was—

"—The Master Emerald," he breathed, and it was so soft, like any louder and the very words would lay a curse on them. Silver raked his fingers through his quills, exhaling shakily. "That distant future I went to was the aftermath of the war. That Null-thing was a collapsed Master Emerald—the epitome of negative Chaos."

A beat of silence, and nobody could seem to find the words to fill it.

Sonic was the first to speak, his heart beating in his ears and his flesh palm feeling sweaty.

"Well, shit."

* * *

Rouge rushed into the control room, a mural of computer monitors greeting her on the adjacent wall. She flipped on the lights, squinting at the sudden burst of luminosity, before adjusting and fumbling for the nearest drawer. After a few seconds of fishing around in it, she withdrew a walkie-talkie and adjusted it to the correct station.

"Shadow?" she hissed into it. "Shadow, are you okay? I haven't heard from you in—"

" _Hello there, Rouge._ "

Her muscles immediately seized, and chills trickled down her spine.

She chewed her lip uneasily; paused. As cordially as possible, she growled, "Eggman. Where is he?"

" _Oh, I wouldn't worry,_ " the doctor purred through the communicator. " _Shadow's nice and snug in his restraints. He's so drugged up he can hardly register the pain!_ "

Rouge snarled. "Let him go, you fucking psycho."

" _Sure thing!_ " he said drily. " _But you might want to check your computer first. We have a few terms we'd like you to meet._ "

Suddenly, every monitor on the wall turned to static, before a video flickered to life on all of them. It was hard to make out given the poor camera quality and the darkness of the room, but she could see Shadow. He was strapped to a chair and leaning forwards, like he wasn't even conscious. Infinite stood beside him, all blasé, his talons tracing along the hedgehog's fresh scars.

Rouge's stomach turned at the sight, and she squeezed the walkie-talkie so tight she felt it crumbling in on itself.

"Good evening, rodents," video-Infinite greeted icily. "If you're watching this, you must already know your dear little friend has gone missing. Don't worry, we'll give him back—if you do what we want. So, here's how this works: one of _our_ assets has also gone missing."

Her blood was _boiling._

Infinite pressed his claws to Shadow's neck, lifting his head up. Shadow grunted tried to pull away at the touch, and it made Rouge want to lunge through the damn monitor and strangle the jackal herself.

"His name is Sonic." Infinite chuckled darkly. "Surely you've heard of him, no?"

* * *

 **aww yeah shits goin _down_ ;)**

 **chapter 1 actually has significance still w/ all that null space jazz! yay reunions! oh no gadget's in trouble! i mean tbh they're all kinda in trouble lmao.**

 **also i just wanna say: next week i'm gonna be getting _top surgery_ babey, which means one of two things: i'm either gonna have plenty of time on my hands to quickly get out the next chapter, or i'm gonna be too tired/in pain to even want to write for a while. i'm hoping for the former but u never kno ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**


	8. obstinacy

**hell yeah new chapter babey! this one's a lil shorter so i'm sorry bout that but i promise the final scene is,, Good ;)**

 **also uh my surgery went rly well :D ty every1 who sent me their best wishes! the first week was kinda rough but i'm feelin much better now.**

 **anywho enjoy the read**

* * *

 **VIII.**

 _obstinacy (äbstənəsē)_

 _[noun]_

 _unyielding, stubborn persistence._

* * *

"No. Absolutely not."

An untamed anger swelled in his chest and Sonic straightened in his bed, the blanket falling to his lap.

The action revealed just how scarred his body was, and none of them were really sure they were expecting it. A blotch of his abdomen was only freshly scarred over from Silver's healing, and there was so much stress and dried blood clumped around his robotic shoulder, it was unnerving. And—and there was this massive scar, that ran unabashedly down his chest from his collarbone to his hips, jagged like a bolt of lightning and just as striking. It seemed pale and aged, but it was still jarring and it definitely wasn't there the last time they had seen him, before the war and his capture.

Sonic seemed unbothered by the way Amy jostled at the sight, his eyes fiery and wide as he locked right onto Rouge, who stood in the doorway. She returned an equally heated gaze, and the other mobians found themselves uncomfortable as they watched.

"I'm not just gonna sit here and do nothing while he rots in a cell!" Sonic snapped. At that point Silver tried to press a hand to his chest and ease him back into laying down, but the blue blur was defiant and brushed his friend away.

Rouge crossed her arms, and everyone started to note how puffy her eyes were. "This is obviously a trap. Believe me, I want Shadow back just as much as you, but we can't just—"

"We can't what?" Sonic implored. "He's my goddamn fiancé, and I'm gonna save him. If you guys are too scared to join, then that's fine by me, but you can't stop me from—"

Knuckles planted a firm hand on the hedgehog's shoulder as he tried to clamber out of bed, halting him. "Sonic, you need to calm down. You're still injured. You're in no condition to fight."

"I can't just sit back and-!" The hero cut himself off and let out a pained sigh, falling back against the pillow as he pinched the bridge of his nose. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and diluted. "… I spent six months in that hellhole. I don't want anyone else to have to go through that too, let alone Shadow."

Silence draped over the cramped room, and their hearts ached.

Sonic peered back up to scan his friends' faces. He looked _devastated._ "Please. You have to let me save him."

"There's gotta be a better way to go about this," Silver piped up. "We just need a plan that ensures everyone gets out of there safe."

Amy pursed her lips, her gaze becoming unfocused as she concentrated. "Infinite's only rules were that Sonic shows up at their front door within twenty-four hours, alone and unarmed." She eyed them, something clever glinting in her bright jades. "Maybe we can bend the rules a little bit."

Sonic looked to Rouge. "Did he specifically say he wanted to trade me for Shadow, or was it more… ambiguous?"

The bat shrugged. "It's what he implied, but knowing that bastard he probably intends on keeping both of you."

"So…" he muttered, sitting up again in his bed, "We can probably expect that I'll be restrained pretty quickly after I get there, so I don't have a chance to get away or look for Shads. Maybe you guys can hide outside, and I can get a signal to you if I need backup."

Knuckles rose a brow, his gaze not trained on anything in particular. "Or a diversion."

Everyone looked to him, skepticism ebbing into their faces.

"Well, what if we draw him out?" he elaborated. "That way Sonic can sneak away in all the chaos and find Shadow."

The blue blur hopped out of bed and onto his feet, humming amiably to himself upon not feeling a single twinge of pain in his once-broken kneecap—or anywhere else along his body, for that matter. He draped his forearm over Knuckles' shoulder to lean on him nonchalantly, cracking a wide grin as he looked over the group.

"It's a date!"

* * *

Miles' hands worked automatically at the plane engine, and he let his mind drift for a few minutes—though, he strained to not let it drift too far. This place brought back some, uh, _unpleasant_ memories.

But it was strange, really, to think he'd be piloting his pride and joy again briefly. The Tornado's coat of crimson was smudged in grime and soot, but that was manageable—he just needed to scrape out the last bits of waste to un-jam the engine and fix up the console. Frankly, she seemed pretty in shape already.

The kit looked up after a moment, about to call Gadget over to possibly help speed up this process (no need to linger around here longer than necessary) when they suddenly locked eyes.

"Holy shit," the wolf breathed with the ghost of a smile, only now seeming to notice the biplane. "Is that—"

"How pitiful. A _mutt_ is scavenging around in the dumpster."

Everything seemed to freeze.

Instinctively, Miles ducked behind the plane, just barely peering over the cockpit as he wildly scanned the scene for the source of the voice, trying to regulate his breathing because fuck, he was shaking already and all he could think about was tears pooling in emerald eyes, bl _ood smearing across cerulean fur, a desperate hand reaching towards him as carmine dribbled out of fawn lips—_

A gasp—no, a _whimper_ interrupted his musings, meek and helpless and pitiful. Infinite was already here, already strangling Gadget as he dangled him in the air, cackling mirthlessly. His friend was struggling, kicking wildly, clawing desperately at his throat as he fought for another breath.

Time was ticking, and Miles was quickly losing his hold on it.

Thoughtlessly, the fox started to rifle through his knapsack, clamping one of his hands over his mouth to try and muffle his heaving, trembling breaths because he was so goddamn terrified, this is the man that tore everything away from him and n _ow he was here again, helplessly watching as he stole another friend's life right before his eyes and he couldn't do anything else, he was useless, he was a fucking coward, he—_

His hand brushed against cool metal, and he exhaled, blinking meticulously. Distantly, he heard Infinite monologuing to Gadget as the wolf continued to wheeze and struggle. He had to hurry. He had to hurry.

 _(Coward. Coward. Coward.)_

Tears suddenly welled in his eyes and his throat was too tight. He pressed both hands firmly against his lips as he let a miserable moan fall out, a torrent of salty teardrops quickly following after. _Fuck._

Okay, okay, no. Focus. Breathe.

Miles dug his hands back in to find the icy metal in his bag, before hastily withdrawing the object to reveal a small revolver. There were four bullets left. He sighed and turned off the safety; cocked it.

He didn't like using real guns. He only used this one in emergencies. But the electric Wispon was useless—the whip was too slow and Infinite would hear the crackles before it could even touch him, and he wouldn't be able to get close enough to use the sword—and the burst one was out of the question (the flames would only engulf Gadget too).

And so he found himself staring at a rusty revolver, far too heavy and far too cold in his hand. Miles swallowed the knot in his throat and stood.

He stepped out from behind the Tornado, aiming the pistol with trembling hands and twitchy fingers hovering over the trigger. Infinite's back was to him, levitating just a couple inches above the ground as Gadget's face grew pale from a lack of oxygen. There was total silence for a few brief moments—save for the yearning gasps of the wolf—before Gadget managed to sputter out a single word.

"… Zero?"

Infinite immediately stiffened, and his grip started to slacken as the crimson male managed in a breath. Miles' joints locked up and ice rocketed through his veins. Now was his chance. He had to. He had to prove he wasn't a coward anymore.

 _Not anymore._

A silver bullet exploded out of the revolver, gliding seamlessly through the air and lodging itself in the back of Infinite's leg in a millisecond. The jackal cried out in pain, crumbling to the ground and, in turn, dropping Gadget. They both collapsed in a pathetic heap.

But they couldn't stop yet. Miles broke into a run, latching onto Gadget's arm and yanking him to his feet. The wolf was reeling, greedily sucking in air and shaking all over as he tried to calm down. Tears dripped down his face but it wasn't shameful or emasculating, the guy nearly _suffocated_ at the hands of a goddamn _terrorist._

Gadget stumbled into the kit, disoriented and scared and visibly upset as he continued to cough and wheeze.

"We need to hurry," Miles said, tugging persistently at his friend. But, as he gained his bearings, the elder started to resist.

He couldn't even talk yet, his voice lost as he massaged his throat, but Gadget struggled fruitlessly to return to Infinite's side, reaching to him in desperation. It was like]—like he wanted to _help_ him.

No. No. Infinite was still downed, and they only had so much longer before the jackal recovered and attacked.

"Pl-plea—" Gadget rasped, frantically fighting against Miles as he beckoned to the tyrant. " _Please!_ H-He… Zer— _Zero…!_ "

The fox refused. He didn't—he didn't understand, Infinite was about to fucking kill him mere seconds ago and now—now—

"We have to go," Miles ordered, pulling Gadget along. "Get in."

The wolf faltered, casting a longing gaze over to the fallen dictator _(monster, murderer, sadist)._ Infinite started to stir, blood pooling around his leg and a red aura of energy surrounding his hands.

Fuck.

Miles ushered Gadget into the passenger seat before scrambling into the pilot's seat himself, fingers automatically finding the correct order of buttons and switches and levers to push and flick and switch, shaking uncontrollably and suppressing the tears that burned in his eyes because they had to get away, he co _uldn't lose anyone else—_

The engine rumbled to life, propellers starting to spin as the plane lurched forwards. Miles didn't look back. He couldn't.

Gadget was completely silent behind him, and Miles had no energy to check on him.

The Tornado rolled down an empty span of the junkyard, picking up speed until they lifted into the air.

It wasn't until minutes later, after nearly above the clouds, that they heard a livid, animalistic roar from the jackal down below.

* * *

There was something utterly bone-chilling about standing at the front door of his own prison.

Sonic took a deep breath, steeling himself and clenching his fists tautly. There was no need to knock. A security camera was trained on him and he already knew he was being watched. All that was left to do was wait.

(But he was always horrible at waiting.)

The door glided open easily, and the hedgehog was so lost in his thoughts the movement sent ice running through his veins as he inhaled sharply.

On the other side stood the man that stole away six months of his life. It took all of his willpower to not lunge right then at him.

"Ah, finally. Something goes right today," Infinite snarled, red energy crackling feverishly around him.

Sonic frowned. _The hell was that supposed to mean?_

He almost made some witty remark but—no. Stick to the plan. Focus. Provoking him won't solve anything.

Silence weighed down on them, and after a few beats of unbreakable eye contact that made the hero tremble (—with fear? Anticipation? Who was to say at this point—), Infinite turned briskly on his heel and headed back further into the decrepit base. Sonic watched him feebly for a few seconds before reluctantly tailing after.

And he didn't really mean to look, but emerald orbs landed on the fresh gunshot wound on the back of the jackal's right leg almost instantaneously and he began to panic because _shit, where did that come from, was that from Shadow trying to escape, what—_

"You seem tense," the canine muttered, his tone dry and bitter. He didn't cast a single glimpse over his shoulder to him. _Hmph._ Sonic thought he'd be relishing in this victory more. _You ran away no more than a day ago, just to come crawling right back? Pathetic—_ "I'm a man of my word, hedgehog. You'll see your precious Shadow again."

Infinite was limping.

His fingers twitched, prosthetic arm jittery like it was possessed by something else. He could get the jump on him right now if—no, no. Stick to the plan.

Instead, Sonic scoffed, his gaze wandering disdainfully as they continued down the dim corridor. There was always something so claustrophobic about these walls; he felt like he was crawling down the throat of a beast, willingly embracing his inevitable demise. "Oh, gee, sorry. Sometimes I just get a little jumpy in the place you tortured me in for _months._ "

Their walk was halted as the hallway came to an end, a thick steel door greeting them. The jackal turned back to face him. A sickly golden iris pierced through the mask, sending a wave of vertigo Sonic's way as memories of screams and blood and agony spurred in his head. He tried not to shudder, but he already felt clammy and anxious.

"You were shot." His own words surprised him as much as they did Infinite, but dammit there were no take-backs now. The blue blur crossed his arms, keeping his expression muted and distant. "What happened? I thought you were some un-killable god."

Infinite laughed dispassionately, taking a step forward to press a single claw up against Sonic's throat. The hedgehog squirmed and withdrew, only magnifying the demeaning look in the villain's eye.

"What's it to you?" the jackal muttered.

Sonic nearly growled.

There was a tense pause, before Infinite groaned tiredly. "Oh, for—your precious Shadow is safe and sound, if that's your concern. I simply ran into some…" He waved his hand around carelessly, trying to find the right words, as if his injury was just some mild inconvenience.

(But Sonic was the most stubborn asshole on the planet and he could sense a mile away when someone's pride was wounded.)

Infinite cocked his head slightly. "… Just some useless rodents who managed to get the jump on me. Believe me, if I had known there was another one hiding I would've—" A long sigh. "I'm not discussing this with you. I believe we set terms, no? And it seems you've held up your end of the bargain."

The urge to sock the fucker right in his ugly mask was getting exceedingly tempting, and the hedgehog had to swallow his fury before he did something stupid.

"Sure did. Now let Shadow go—and I wanna see him, I wanna know he's still alive and he gets out safely."

The air seemed to shift around them. Infinite edged closer to him, gently easing barbed fingers onto his shoulder and squeezing a little too hard.

"Oh, you naïve little rat," the demon drawled.

Talons snapped around Sonic's neck and suddenly he was choking for air, thrashing wildly in an unbreakable grip, red energy was curling all around him—

"Neither of you are going anywhere. I never said he'd get to roam free. But I am a man of my word—you'll still reunite with him." The words ' _in hell'_ are left unsaid. And yet—

It was so predictable.

It took all of the hedgehog's strength not to break into laughter. The current chokehold he was held in certainly helped alleviate the urge.

Discreetly, Sonic curled his left hand to just barely dig his fingers beneath the cuff of his glove. He vaguely felt a small band hidden beneath the cuff, and pressed a button on it with a veiled satisfaction. The others were notified.

Now he just had to buy some time.

Wordlessly, the speedster kicked his legs forwards, sending Infinite stumbling backwards as he collapsed to the ground, himself. Sonic leapt to his feet, his body only resisting a little as he tried to catch his breath, and held up his fists.

Infinite preened. "You're a fool if you think you stand a chance against me. You cannot even begin to fathom the capabilities of my powers. You can't even _escape,_ not in here."

The hedgehog's lips curled into a smirk. "Bite me."

Sonic pushed himself forwards, lunging right for the Phantom Ruby, but Infinite teleported behind him and punched him square in the back before he even got the chance. He groaned, the wind knocked out of him, as he fell to the ground. The canine stalked up to him and lifted him up effortlessly, claws wrapping around his throat and squeezing even tighter than before. The hero was slammed against a wall, and he grimaced as the back of his head ached from the impact.

 _Chaos, guys, hurry up—_

Sirens began to screech across the facility.

 _Ah. There we go._

"What the-?" the tyrant looked back down the long hallway, as if waiting for invaders to pounce out of the shadows.

Just barely managing to croak out the words, Sonic murmured, "Y-You gonna get that?"

Infinite _glowered._ Sonic leered dazedly at him; his vision was growing fuzzy.

Mutely, the dog turned and threw the hedgehog full-force at the steel door, only a foot or so away from them. Sonic yelped, preparing himself for a concussion, but the impact never came. Instead, he flew _through_ the door, which had miraculously morphed into some red veil of energy—no doubt conjured from a certain ruby—and landed unceremoniously against a concrete floor on the other side.

"Don't move. It appears I've got some unwelcome company to deal with before I can deal with you," Infinite snapped, before flicking his wrist at the veil of red. The steel door re-materialized in unison with the motion. Sonic released a shaky breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

Well. Things seemed to be going to plan.

… For the most part, anyways.

* * *

Gadget felt cold.

He grunted uncomfortably, shifting against the biplane. Miles hadn't spoken a word to him since they had left the junkyard, and as soon as they'd landed on the beach he'd just made a small campfire and fallen asleep.

Their flight had been long and eerie, and sure, Gadget was glad to be on solid ground again, but it was still an uneasy three hours of staring at the back of the kit's head, trying not to have a full-blown panic attack as he wondered where they were headed. It seemed like Miles never had a particular destination in mind; he'd just abruptly landed them on this beach after getting tired enough.

And, although Gadget didn't know the exact time, it had been well into the night when they settled here, laying in the sand and propped up against the plane. The wolf had just been staring restlessly into the dwindling flames before them, and now the sun was already rising again.

Despite getting no sleep whatsoever, though, he didn't feel tired in the slightest.

He felt _cold._

The campfire emitted a heat that he could acknowledge, that he knew made him sweaty and hot, but—but there was this feeling of ice inside him, spreading languidly down his torso and limbs, making him tremble uncontrollably and hug himself tighter. He just—he couldn't stop _thinking._

Cautiously, Gadget spared a glance over to the resting fox. Miles was curled against one of the plane's wheels, bundled up in a spare blanket from the small storage compartment on the underside of the vehicle (he had offered it to Gadget, but it was vehemently refused because the kid had been shivering violently at that point). He couldn't help but frown at the sight, though—Miles' face was tense and distraught; he looked stiff. _Must be having a bad dream._

He almost stirred his companion awake, but figured they needed all the rest they could get, regardless of whether it was riddled by nightmares or not.

With a heavy sigh, Gadget leaned back against the biplane and drew his knees to his chest, hugging himself loosely. His temples were tight and achy, and he found it nearly impossible to keep his eyes closed for too long. He felt restless and pent-up.

Chaos, he couldn't even—that _had_ to have been Zero. There was no doubt. His ashen fur, the scruffy white fluff at his neck, his disheveled dreadlocks, his fucking _voice—_

The way he faltered when Gadget said his name. His _real_ name.

—But it just made no sense. Zero, _his Zero,_ was so gentle. He was a goddamn _physicist,_ maybe just a little eccentric and obsessed with his work but so dedicated and tender and thoughtful and—and he just, he always knew what to say, he knew how to ease Gadget out of panic attacks and he knew more than anything that his favorite food was peaches, he knew that no matter how reckless he acted that Gadget loved him _unequivocally—_

He—fuck. He loved him. _So damn much._

 _(And now he was some demonic mass murderer who didn't even remember him.)_

Gadget strained to recall _before._ He remembered their parting kiss, brief and thoughtless because _surely_ Zero would be back by dinnertime, he just had a shift that night that was a little longer than normal—

But then a good half an hour had passed since Zero's shift ended, and Gadget was calling for the fifth time and it still just went to Zero's voicemail, and Chaos, now he was panicking—

And then an hour had gone by and there was still nothing, and Gadget headed to the supermarket Zero worked at and messaged all of his friends and asked all of the coworkers there if they'd seen him after he left work and nobody had, Zero never made it home, where the _fuck_ was he—

Zero was missing. Gadget… Gadget filed a report to the police and they searched the entire campus, searched the whole damn city, their only lead a splatter of blood in some dark alleyway near the supermarket and a few witnesses claiming they thought they'd heard a gunshot, but no bodies, no nothing.

 _Zero was missing._ And Gadget felt disgusted with himself because he didn't even properly say goodbye before Zero had left their dorm that morning, just that stupid peck on the lips and a little wave before he kept studying for some test he had that afternoon, carelessly assuming he'd see his boyfriend again that evening.

Two weeks passed. And then the bombings started, and a certain mad doctor managed to take over the whole fucking planet.

Gadget could only assume Zero was dead.

 _(—Except he wasn't, he just saw him a few hours ago and maybe he could convince Miles to go back, see where he went wrong because Zero had to be just confused or manipulated, he'd never intentionally hurt anybody, not his Zero—)_

Something rustled in the foliage, just a few meters up the beach where sand morphed into thick grass and tall trees. Gadget froze, ears twitching as his senses tuned in. For a few seconds all he could hear was the lethargic waves lapping against the coast, and a morning breeze twisting through the tree canopies.

Maybe he'd just imagined it. Maybe it had just been a flicky skittering by.

But then something continued rustling around, followed by a loud _thump._ Gadget's heart leapt into his throat.

The wolf casted a wary glance to Miles, who was still fast asleep. Swallowing thickly, he resolved to stand up and grab the red Wispon laying in between them in the sand.

Gadget started forwards, slow and methodical, aiming the flamethrower with twitching hands as he approached the source of commotion. He tried to keep his breathing quiet, but it proved difficult as his heart rate began to spike, anxiety brewing in his gut.

With only a moment of hesitation, Gadget pounced into the foliage, finger hovering over the trigger as his Wispon locked onto his target.

But he wavered, upon meeting a pair of timid, blue, _mobian_ eyes gazing right back at him.

* * *

His head was pounding, and it took Sonic a solid minute to muster the strength to rise to his feet. When he did, his world tilted, and he nearly keeled over. The hedgehog grunted and stumbled to the nearest wall, leaning against it as he calmed himself down.

He definitely felt woozy, but he'd be alright. He was fine.

After savoring his brief rest, Sonic pushed off the wall and started to limp towards the steel door. There had to be a way to open it. He had to get out and find Shadow, and a slab of metal was _not_ going to get in his way.

Tentatively, he withdrew the Chaos Emerald from his quills, watching with vague fascination as the dim lighting bounced off its facets, a teal light glimmering around it. He only got one use with it. Because Infinite only needed to sense one Chaos Control before realizing there was an emerald nearby and Sonic had it.

As tempting as it was to teleport to the other side of the door, Sonic begrudgingly tucked the gem back into his quills. He needed to save it for when he found his partner, so he could just warp them back to HQ.

The hedgehog swiveled around to lean his back to the door and scan the room for another exit.

But then he did, and his eyes landed on an ebony hedgehog bound to a chair, watching him with a half-lidded gaze.

Sonic's heart fluttered. "Shit, you're—" He staggered towards him, falling to his knees before the chair to stare right into glazed, ruby eyes.

Shadow slumped a little and his head tilted to the side like a lost puppy—he was _very_ clearly not sober and, in fact, _very_ drugged up. "Mmph, you aren't… You're dead."

The sight was outright heartbreaking, but his lips still twitched up into a watery smile. The speedster glided a hand up to cradle his fiancé's cheek fondly. "I'm not, babe, I promise. I'm right here."

This only elicited a perturbed frown and low grumble. "… But Tails said—"

"Look at me, Shads," the cerulean male ordered, his voice soft and tender. "I'm alive. I'm gonna save you, okay?"

Shadow's eyes grew misty. "But I thought…"

It was no surprise to either of them when they subconsciously leaned into each other, lips locking immediately. Sonic hummed pleasantly, easing his free hand _(his fake hand)_ to massage metal fingers around Shadow's side and lower back. The agent's hands were bound behind himself so he couldn't return the gesture, and instead deepened the kiss and purred lowly as he pushed further against his partner. His lips were chapped and dry but Sonic relished in the feeling of Shadow's tongue brushing along his teeth, feeling his warm breath spread across his face.

They pulled away slowly; reluctantly.

"… You're here," Shadow murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sonic chuckled, pressing their foreheads together and letting his eyes fall closed for a second. "I told ya' all those years ago, Shads. _I die hard._ "

Shadow snickered at that, and the sound made something warm and adoring curl around Sonic's heart—something familiar, something loving.

"Alright, babe," the blue blur said, pressing another chaste and hasty kiss to his lips. "Let's get you home."

He began to work at untying the bonds at Shadow's ankles and wrists, while the other simply sat there and watched, his breaths slow and steady. When Sonic was finished, he lingered a moment to run his hands along his partner's body, feeling all of the fresh cuts and bruises and wishing he could make them all fade away, before starting to pull him to his feet.

Clearly Shadow wasn't entirely prepared, as he wobbled and fought against gravity. Sonic slung an arm around his waist to hold him up, carrying most of his weight. The Ultimate Lifeform leaned into him, looking pale and disoriented. The drugs in his system were hindering his motor functions and thoughts, and it showed.

Frowning pitifully, Sonic withdrew the Chaos Emerald from his quills again, holding it in front of them as he mentally began to speak the magic words; the glow of the teal stone began to swell, and Shadow grabbed his wrist with sudden apprehension.

"Where're we going…?" the striped hedgehog slurred out, looking immensely confused. He blinked placidly. "Infinite—Infinite took my emeralds, we gotta get 'em back…"

Sonic smiled warmly. "Don't worry, our friends got everything under control. My mission right now is to get you to safety, 'kay?"

Shadow regarded him distantly, like he wasn't fully perceiving what was even happening. He huffed and lolled his head to the side, resting against Sonic's shoulder. "… M'kay."

In a grand flash of light, they were gone.

* * *

 **hehehe gay (ok but seriously yall have no idea how long ive been waiting to write that sonadow scene. i just want my babies 2 be happy is that too much to ask for-)**

 **but yeah! infinite's having a Bad Day lol, sonic has his hubby again, and miles & gadget are Shook :)**

 **stay tuned for next chapter it's gonna get real angsty real soon (but it's also a rly fun one i promise)**


	9. return

**whattup losers i'm back with a _hella_ long chapter in less than a month. seriously i think it's the longest chapter to date skjghkdf**

 **warning: the first scene is pretty bloody. the rest of the chap is tame tho uwu enjoy**

* * *

 **IX.**

 _return (rəˈtərn)_

 _[verb]_

 _to come back._

* * *

 _Wind lashed through his fur, licking his face and beating hard against his goggles as they soared through the skies. His fingers trembled over the plane dashboard, as he carefully watched the clear skies that swallowed them whole in a veil of light blue. He should have been anxious, scared; instead he felt light and invigorated and capricious. A untamed smile pulled at his lips._

 _It'd been probably almost a year since he'd gotten to go on a mission like this. Their adventures had been growing scarce lately. There was the Time Eater ordeal, which was a few years ago, in which Eggman had spoiled (and kind of improved, in an adrenaline-junkie sort of way?) Sonic's eighteenth birthday. And then there was nothing, for a long time, and it was jarring. Typically the mad scientist had a new plan cooked up within the next month. Eventually came the Lost Hex thing, which they took care of no problem._

 _And then… And then, nothing, again, only this time it didn't seem like it'd ever go away._

 _The break from the action was admittedly nice, for a while. They started getting to coerce Knuckles into getting off Angel Island more often, what with the seeming lack of danger. More team-bonding activities. More getting to take a break from being heroes, and getting to learn to be more like regular people. Hell, Shadow even proposed to Sonic. Wedding plans were already underway and it'd be nice to get to enjoy something as splendorous as that without the looming threat of killer robots or eldritch beings intruding on them._

 _But, Chaos, it'd been nearly a year and a half and Eggman's hiatus was just eerie at this point._

 _That was why they were here, gliding through the skies in the early morning. His emerald tracker had picked up activity nearby, and before he even knew it they were out the door and departing from Mystic Ruins._

 _Sonic spared him a glance over his shoulder, from where he balanced on the left wing of the Tornado. He fashioned an abrasive smile and pools of exhilaration in his bright eyes. "Maybe Eggbreath will be there to greet us!"_

 _Tails rubbed the back of his neck unsurely. "I dunno," he hollered back over the roaring winds and plane engine. "You'd think he'd announce his presence, after all this time."_

 _The blue blur shrugged and tapped his foot against the crimson wing. He said something to himself with a slightly withdrawn expression, but Tails couldn't hear it. He suspected, however, that it had something to do with Sonic_ hoping _Eggman would be there._

 _Despite having the ability to explore the entire planet a million times over in the span of two seconds, it had become painfully obvious over these long months that Sonic had cabin fever. Tails didn't blame him, really. He figured he'd probably feel the same—after seeing literally everything possible, things tend to get kind of bland._

 _The small contraption propped up on the dashboard started blinking wildly. "We're really close! I'm gonna look for a place to land!" the pilot yelled, starting to pivot downwards. "You see anything up ahead?"_

 _Sonic scanned along the horizon for a moment. "There's some junkyard up ahead! Maybe it's in there. Everything else is just empty fields for miles."_

 _With a nod, Tails eased into a descent, before the Tornado connected with the ground and rolled to a stop in the large enclosure. Mountains of scrap metal loomed all around them, hiding them from the luminous sun and bounds of cerulean skies up above. The kit hesitated; he was getting weird vibes from this place._

 _His brother seemed unbothered, hopping off the wing with a brazen smirk. He began stretching his fawn arms nonchalantly. "Good ol' solid ground," he said._

 _Tails chewed his lip, deciding to linger in the cockpit as he fiddled around with the emerald tracker. It was going ballistic now—they were really close._

 _"Can you sense anything?" the fox asked. He knew Shadow had been helping his friend hone in on his Chaos abilities over the years, and he was definitely a natural at it by now._

 _Sonic scrunched his face up in concentration and closed his eyes. He paused and tilted his head apprehensively. "I—Yeah, kinda, but there's… There's something else, I think. I dunno what—"_

 _With a pained grunt, a large chunk of concrete collided directly into the hedgehog's gut and sent him flying backwards into a mound of garbage._

 _"Sonic!"_

 _Tails fumbled for the bag by his feet and withdrew his latest creation—the Wispon. It was still a work in progress, barely out of beta testing yet, and he wasn't really sure if it'd work but he didn't exactly have any other options—_

 _The hero heaved and rolled the boulder of concrete off of himself, starting to rise onto his feet. He cradled his chest with a grimace—there had to be some bruised or broken ribs._

 _"I'm fine," Sonic huffed, and he clearly wasn't but it wasn't like he'd ever be convinced otherwise._

 _Emerald eyes were trained straight ahead. Tails grabbed the red Wispon (it was shaped sort of like a bulky gun and it didn't sit quite right in his hands yet, he'd have to make some adjustments still) and hopped out of the Tornado, aiming it in the same direction Sonic glared at as his feet hit the ground._

 _A figure hovered in the air, a few meters away, enveloped in a cloak of red energy as he wielded a green Chaos Emerald in his claws. A sickly yellow iris pierced out of the jagged hole in his mask, searing into the heroes like molten lava. Tails fought back a shudder, and locked his jaw; he had to look confident, like Sonic._

 _The speedster staggered forwards to stand side-by-side with his brother. He rolled his shoulder and cracked a weathered, lop-sided grin. "Hey there! I gotta say, pal, that's an awfully rude way to say hello."_

 _The stranger continued to watch them in silence. Tails fidgeted anxiously._

 _Sonic held out a hand, like he was offering to shake the stranger's. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. Lemme introduce myself: I'm S—"_

 _Effortlessly, the floating figure flicked his wrist at them and both heroes flew backwards as a wave of red energy slammed into them. The fox whimpered when he landed wrong on his ankle, and he looked to the blue blur with wide, desperate eyes. Sonic met his gaze, before nodding determinedly and shakily rising to his feet again._

 _"I know who you are," the stranger sneered at them, fixating idly on the Chaos Emerald he held. Tails could feel spiders crawling down his spine at the mere sound of the stranger's voice—deep and thorny and warped and utterly_ demonic.

 _Sonic spat out a glob of blood, still cradling his already-bruising chest. "Great! Then we can cut right to you introducing yourself!" he shot back, looking slightly irritated. He narrowed his eyes. "Do you work for Eggman?"_

 _The stranger cackled. "I 'work' for nobody, but… I suppose you could call us accomplices."_

 _A wild grin split across the speedster's face. Tails started clambering onto his feet._

 _Seamlessly, the figure touched down to the ground, twisting the emerald around in his hand. His yellow eye bore heavily into them. "I believe you're looking for this, no?"_

 _"You betcha," Sonic replied eagerly. He'd been waiting_ so long _to see some action again. "You wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?"_

 _"Take a wild guess. I_ implore _you," the stranger drawled, venom dripping from his distorted voice._

 _Not wasting another second, the hedgehog broke into a sprint before launching himself into the air and attempting a homing-attack at their enemy. He nearly made contact before he seemed to collide with this odd force-field of crimson light, and he was swatted away like a useless bug, crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Their enemy strode up to the hero and planted his foot on his chest to keep him downed._

 _"You're pathetic," the stranger jeered. Sonic groaned out in pain as he pressed harder on his injured chest._

 _Sonic managed to lift a weak hand, looking pained as he met the fox's eyes. Emerald eyes hardened when he nearly lurched forward to help him._

 _"S-Stay back." It was an order._

 _Tails could feel his muscles locking up and—no, no, he had to do something. He couldn't just stand here and watch his brother get killed, no matter what he said._

 _"Hey!" he shouted, and their assailant's head snapped to him, as if he'd forgotten he was there. Tails squirmed, and his legs were shaking and his eyes burned but he had to remain strong. He aimed the Wispon carefully at the stranger's head (it was basically a flamethrower and therefore completely useless unless he wanted to hurt Sonic, too, but this would at least buy them some time). "Uh, you never told us who you were."_

 _The stranger loosened his pressure on the hedgehog's chest, and Tails could see him sigh just a little bit in relief, out of the corner of his eye. The figure contemplated, before lifting his arm up to aim his palm directly at the trembling kit._

 _"You may call me Infinite… in the brief moments that remain to you."_

 _Distantly, Tails could hear Sonic screaming ("no!"), but he was too preoccupied with the red energy that swallowed him whole and bit into his skin before throwing him backwards into a heap of garbage. Debris rained down on him upon collision like an avalanche in Holoska, before a massive metal beam fell from where it had been precariously held up by the thick compost and trapped the fox beneath it._

 _Pain flared up his body when as the metal slammed against his body and he sobbed, his vision blurring with tears. Vaguely, he could make out the stranger_ —Infinite— _lifting a weak and struggling hedgehog from the ground in a chokehold._

 _Sonic kicked fruitlessly at Infinite, rasping out as he casted a horrified look over to the fox, "Tails! T-Tails, buddy, you okay?!"_

 _Chaos. He was being strangled by this—this_ monster, _and he was worried about_ Tails?!

 _The pilot tried to make his voice work, to reassure his brother that he was fine, don't worry, but the wind was completely knocked out of him and stupid, broken sobs kept spilling from his lips and all he could focus on was the searing pain that devoured his limp body._

 _A few seconds of silence passed and Sonic began struggling harder, angrier, clawing at the hand that squeezed his throat. "Let me—Fuck, lemme go, you—bastard—!"_

 _Infinite cocked his head in mild amusement. "Aw, you're quite defiant, aren't you? You know, I've been given direct orders to keep you alive, but…" He grabbed into a nearby pile of garbage and withdrew this—this two-foot-long shard of solid steel, serrated and rusted and gleaming dangerously in the dim sunlight. Tails managed out a mangled shriek, trying as hard as he could to push off the metal that trapped him. He couldn't—he couldn't do it, he wasn't strong enough—_

 _"The doctor won't care too much if I play with the merchandise a bit, will he?"_

 _Tears streamed down Tails' face and his voice was failing from how loudly he screamed._

 _Infinite's eye gleamed something deadly, and he pushed the blade of metal straight through Sonic's chest._

 _Everything fell silent, except for the disjointed, agonizing cries that ripped from the hedgehog's throat. Tails squeezed his eyes shut, bile rising up his esophagus at the vile sounds of squelching flesh._

 _The metal slid painstakingly slow through Sonic's body, until Infinite didn't even need to hold him in a chokehold anymore. The gargantuan shard, alone, supported him. Blood poured unabashedly down his chest, pooling in a thick, viscous puddle on the ground. Sonic's crying ceased, his words stolen right from him, his eyes wide and glassy as he gaped like a fish out of water._

 _"Ah, much better," Infinite purred, tracing a claw along the hero's face—which was scarily pale now. He was—he was losing so much blood, fuck—"No more squirming or fighting."_

 _Sonic swallowed thickly, and he was trying to speak but all he could do was stare emptily. Emerald eyes drifted sluggishly to meet watery sapphires, too far away, trapped beneath shrapnel and a metal beam._

 _"T-Tails…" the hedgehog murmured distantly. He looked white as a sheet, and his entire body trembled, and his eyes were so foggy and his entire chest was painted in this sickening red—_

 _Infinite looked to the fox disdainfully. "You better run, little one. I'll be coming for you next."_

 _Tails moaned helplessly. "No, please-!"_

 _In a blinding flash of light, Infinite and Sonic were gone. The only trace of them left was the lake of his brother's blood, out of reach, taunting him as he remained trapped._

 _He—he—fuck, no, he'd just—Infinite just_ killed _him, there was no way he'd survive that, not with all that blood loss, not—no no no no no, he can't,_ he can't, _he—he'd just sat here like a useless fucking idiot and he'd ruined everything, he didn't even try to fight and now they were gone, he was such a coward, he should've tried harder but he didn't and now Infinite had gotten away and it was all his fault and Sonic was fucking_ gone _—_

Miles opened his eyes and he couldn't _breathe._

* * *

Shadow came to slowly, his body numb and tingly and somewhat unresponsive as he shifted in his bed. He peeled his eyes open languidly, his head spinning, and stared at the ceiling with a blank stare for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts and remember where he was and what he was doing here. The last thing he could remember was—was sinister laughter, and blood and bruises and ice cold talons pricking his skin, but then—but then tender touches and kisses and gentle murmurs in his ear and, and _warmth._

A crack of light snuck into the room as the door across from his bed eased open slightly, tentative emerald eyes peering in. Shadow could only watch, feeling like useless dead weight.

And then Sonic stepped into the room, slow and nervous, holding a cup of water, and Shadow—Shadow's heart stuttered. Was—was this real? Was Sonic alive, or was this just another one of Infinite's sick hallucinations—

"Hey," the hero said, his voice so soft it was nearly silent. He padded over, sliding the cup onto the nightstand as he stood over Shadow, staring. His eyes were heavy with dried tears and dark bags, but there was this—this alertness to them, like he was prepared to do anything Shadow needed despite his own fatigue. "How are you feeling? Do you—"

"Are you really here?" the agent said, and he wanted so badly to just hold him and never let go, but he _had_ to be sure.

Something melancholy flickered across Sonic's face, and he settled gingerly onto his knees, crossing his arms over the edge of the bed and resting his chin in them. He looked like a kicked puppy. "'Course I am, hon. I promise."

Mutely, Shadow glided a hand over the thin blankets to rest it on a fawn forearm. His skin was warm and soft, and as he wormed his fingers around his wrist, he could feel a beating pulse.

 _He was real. He was here. This was real._

The striped hedgehog swallowed the knot in his throat. "I barely remember—what happened? How are you…?"

Sonic shifted, before unfolding his arms to lay his own hand over Shadow's. They took comfort in the feel of one another's engagement rings still fit snugly on each of their hands. "Tails thought I died, all those months ago. I didn't. Infinite nearly killed me, but they kept me alive to—to use me as a test subject, I guess." He shuddered minutely.

Scarlet eyes fell thoughtlessly to the other's chest, to the sickening scar that ran vertical from his collarbone to his navel, a stark contrast to his peach skin. It looked somewhat faded, but definitely not old; the scarring was too messy and gross and pink. Memories returned to him from six months ago, of a traumatized fox calling him on the phone, telling him Sonic was gone, someone had _impaled_ him and he _died,_ there was blood everywhere, _he'd lost so much blood—_

His stomach churned. Shadow blinked and focused back on Sonic. That was a discussion for later—now was the time for cherishing one another's company and just relishing in how they were both _alive_ and _together._

"… Long story short, I managed to escape a few days ago, ran into Silver, and we somehow found the resistance in hiding. Then we saved you, last night."

Shadow fell briefly silent as he focused on recalling yesterday—and really, the rest of his stay in captivity. Everything had been such a blur; Chaos, he must've been high as a kite. Vaguely, he recalled feeling so… Stupidly happy, for the first time in months, when his vision became filled with nothing but blue fur and sappy emerald eyes gazing into his. It had felt like some distant dream, but it—it really happened. And now he was here, holding Sonic's hand again in the safety of the Resistance HQ.

Ruby eyes drifted to his partner's right arm and he stiffened. He stared for a moment, soaking it in—it was _metal._ Painted a violent purple and scuffed up from whatever fights Sonic had gotten into since acquiring it. The area where it connected to his fleshy shoulder was red and irritated and a little swollen.

Shadow lifted his hand, eyeing the hero in askance. He remained silent, and when Sonic gave him a hesitant nod, he was careful to bring his fingers to the prosthetic, tenderly running them along the cool titanium. "What happened?"

Sonic averted his gaze and grimaced. "The backstory isn't… pleasant. Metal got a little too excited one day, back when I was still behind bars." He managed a brittle smile. "But, hey, let's just be thankful. Without this thing I might've never been able to escape."

Reluctantly, the ebony male gave a nod. He didn't exactly like the idea of a sadistic robot torturing his fiancé to the point where he had to get a prosthetic arm, but, well, he supposed Sonic was right. Neither of them would be here without it. Strange, how things worked out like that.

"So," Shadow began, narrowing his eyes as he continued tracing his fingers along the robotic arm, "Eggman gave this to you?"

"Yeah."

A pregnant pause. "Have you considered the fact that it could be bugged, or rigged with a tracker or explosive or something of the like?"

Sonic shrugged. "At first, yeah. Hell, I tried to rip it off as soon as I broke out. But I haven't really had the time since then to worry about it, and well, nothing's happened yet? I mean, they clearly don't know where we're hiding, and I feel like they would've killed me by now if they could."

The agent mulled that over. "That's true. I still think we should get it looked at by someone, though." _By Tails_ was left unsaid (the kid would've been able to dissect the thing in three seconds, flat), but it still lingered in the air between them, thick and poignant.

Sonic ran his fingers through his quills with a heavy exhale. Now that Shadow was back, all of his thoughts kept returning to his little brother. He was the only missing piece left of their group, and he just—he needed to see him again, to know he was okay.

 _(He had to be. Of course he was okay. Sonic raised him to be tougher than nails, right?)_

Shadow sat up a bit, and cringed at the unpleasant sensation of pinpricks trickling down his form. He still felt too heavy and numb. The sedatives clearly weren't completely out of his system yet. "Are the others outside?"

"I think so. Most of 'em are getting breakfast in the kitchen. I think Knux is still being stubborn and sticking by the M.E." Sonic made a face. "He didn't even come to help rescue you yesterday 'cause he was so worried about that stupid rock! I swear, he's joined at the hip to that thing…"

As the speedster rambled to himself, he started helping Shadow ease onto his feet—he had never specifically said he wanted to get up, but they could practically read each other's minds at this point. Neither of them liked to just sit around. Besides, even before being captured, Shadow had been out locating emeralds for months—he hadn't seen the gang in a while.

The pair made their way to the kitchen (read: Sonic practically carried him there) slowly, as to avoid injury on either end. Amy, Rouge, the Chaotix, and the Cottontails were already there, serving themselves breakfast and conversing idly. They all perked up when the hedgehogs entered.

A warm smile found its way to Rouge's face, and she met them in the doorway, hugging Shadow tightly. He only grunted a little in faux-discomfort.

"You've had me worried sick, young man!" she chastised, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his fluffy chest fur. The rest of the mobians greeted Shadow amicably.

They all quickly settled around a large, antique dining table. The wood was dark and bruised and tattered, but they made do. They helped themselves to rations of granola bars and oatmeal and the like, enjoying their small talk. Vanilla was rattling on about how Cream had just finished drawing a pretty picture of all of their friends, when an exhausted Knuckles and Silver came trudging in.

Sonic whistled teasingly. "Well, look who it is!"

Overlooking the comment, Silver's gaze landed on Shadow and he lit up, chirping a pleasant, "You're awake! How do you feel?"

The striped hedgehog shrugged as he chewed his granola. He was leaned against Sonic's shoulder, practically clinging onto him, and nobody could really blame him. Too much lost time to make up for. "Groggy."

Amy eyed Knuckles intently, not paying attention to the others. The echidna looked—looked awful, frankly. Ever since they'd retrieved the Master Emerald he'd looked awful. He was placing too much stress on himself, trying to solve this all on his own, and it was clearly taking a toll on him.

"Why don't you grab some breakfast?" she said to him, and it was less of a gentle prompt and more of an order.

Knuckles scowled, and rubbed wearily at his temples. "No time, we just—Silv needed to take a break from the chamber."

The psychic nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, it's uh, it's real useful that we have it, y'know," he explained, looking almost guilty, like was scared he was offending them. "Keeps Eggman from tracking the M.E. down and all. But it's just so—dark and stuffy in there."

Sonic thought back to yesterday, when the group had collectively made the decision to save Shadow while Knuckles and Silver stayed with the Master. He frowned when he realized he hadn't seen them come out of that dumb room until just now.

Waving his half-eaten granola bar tantalizingly in the air, he patted the empty chair next to him. "Yeah, maybe you guys should take more than just a short break. Come get some grub."

Vector chewed his lip. "I could make you guys some coffee."

Knuckles nearly objected, but Silver was already nodding vigorously. "That sounds _terrific._ "

The croc hustled into the other room, flashing the time-traveler a sympathetic grin.

Silver was already settling down at the table, an easy sigh escaping him as he let the tension escape from his muscles. The echidna remained stubborn and stood by the doorway to the kitchen, tense and—and almost worried.

"There's another reason why we took a break," he murmured.

The group watched him expectantly, and Knuckles hesitated; flinched.

"… The Master cracked."

Espio startled. "Pardon?"

"What do you mean, _cracked?_ " Shadow snapped critically.

Knuckles was quick to grow defensive at his accusatory tone. "I don't fucking know! I was just—I was meditating, trying to reach Tikal, and it just—this _crack_ just formed when I opened my eyes!"

"It's pretty small," Silver said, as if that really made it much better. The Master Emerald was an impenetrable, holy, all-powerful gemstone. It didn't just _crack._

Amy squirmed. "But nothing prompted it? It just formed out of nowhere?"

The guardian shook his head hopelessly. "I dunno. I mean, I was concentrating really hard, trying to access the Special Zone again, but it wasn't like we punched it! Hell, we didn't even physically _touch_ it."

Espio picked at an insignificant smudge on the table. "So it must be something internal then. The foreign crystallization must be putting excessive pressure on it. The Master Emerald is struggling to combat that pressure."

Shadow paused. "Crystallization?"

"When Ames and Knux found the M.E. the other day, it was covered in these weird… clumps of red crystal-thingies. We don't really know what it is, just that it's not natural," Sonic explained.

Knuckles pinched the bridge of his nose. Tikal's words bounced discordantly through his mind. ' _It is devouring her positive energy like a parasite. It won't be long before she collapses completely.'_

"Chaos, I should—" he casted a longing look over his shoulder, where the Master was being stored in the dark chamber. "Every second we spend discussing this is another second wasted. She can't handle the stress of it."

Rouge crossed her arms. "Okay, hold on, before we go act like sleep-deprived idiots with zero self-preservation—" she received a tired scowl from Knuckles, "—Let's stop and think. Silver had said that, according to that freaky dystopia-whatever, when the emerald collapses it's just pure negative energy. Which means the red stuff must be inducing that, right?"

Shadow's eyes widened. "So we counteract it."

Seven pairs of eyes fell on him intently. Cream and Charmy were the only ones not paying them any mind, the former too preoccupied with her doodling and the latter too preoccupied with watching her.

"The Chaos Emeralds," the agent said, sitting upright. "Maybe their positive energy can balance it out. If we can find them all, we could save the Master Emerald."

Eyes fell back to Knuckles, searching his face for approval of this plan.

An uneasy grunt. "It's a bit of a stretch, but… It's the best thing we've got so far."

"Where would we even start?" Amy asked. "Eggman and Infinite have, what, three emeralds now? They're all bound to be super guarded."

"We don't have much choice," Silver muttered grimly. "Can any of you guys sense one nearby?"

With a deep breath, Shadow let his eyes flutter shut, and abandoned his conscious state to submerge himself within a deeper plane, where energy ran rampant. Tingles ran along his arms and small jolts pricked his nerves. Distantly, he picked up on a concentrated spike of energy, many miles away. He inhaled sharply and opened his eyes.

"Capital City."

There was a beat of silence. Capital City was the heart of Eggman's empire—or, it would be, once construction was finished. It was overrun with badniks and most definitely _not_ welcoming to any intruders. But maybe the chaos of all the construction would work to their advantage, help them sneak in easier. It was—it was incredibly risky and dangerous, but—

 _We don't have much choice._

Suddenly Vector came out of the kitchen, cradling two hot mugs of coffee with a proud look on his face.

And he was, apparently, completely oblivious to the palpable tension in the room.

"… Coffee, anyone?"

* * *

Gadget froze. His finger was poised over the trigger of his Wispon as he aimed it shakily at his foe, who was currently on the ground beneath him. It took him a good while to get over his initial adrenaline and process what exactly he was aiming his weapon at.

It was a _kid._ No older than ten and definitely petrified. He was small and scrawny, with a silky blond coat, a scruffy tuft of bangs sticking straight up on his head, kept from falling down by the pair of goggles he fashioned on his forehead. Massive pools of sapphire gazed pleadingly at Gadget, watery and scared and horrified. The wolf's arm trembled and he took a hesitant step back, lowering the flamethrower.

"Hey," the older male said, keeping his tone gentle and quiet. "Sorry, I just—I got freaked out 'cause I heard movement nearby. I'm not gonna hurt you, bud, I promise."

The boy—some sort of rodent, maybe a squirrel?—hesitantly nodded and swallowed thickly. He was shaking, and had yet to move from his position on the ground.

"Uh, do you have a name?" Gadget asked, because fuck he was bad with kids and he'd just held this one at _gunpoint—_ he needed some sort of icebreaker, didn't he?

The boy remained still, locked in place from the trauma that swam in his eyes, and Gadget's heart just sank because he looked so—so dirty, and cold, and lonely. Was he all alone out here? What happened to his family? How had he managed to survive until now?

And then the squirrel started to open his mouth, finally about to speak, when—

 _"Citizens. You should not be out here. Surrender peacefully and your sentence will be lighter."_

Both mobians turned to the source of the monotone recording to spot a motobug just a few feet away, almost completely shrouded by the shadows of the tree canopies. It was just _watching_ them, and it was freaky as hell. Its teal optics glowered at them through the shade.

The boy shrieked and Gadget leapt into action without a second thought. The motobug was instantly engulfed by a pillar of flames the moment he lifted the Wispon again. When the embers were gone, all that was left was a mound of mushy steel and fizzling circuitry.

He faced the kid again, shaking a bit with adrenaline. "Um. You okay?"

A smile found its way to his face, only making his golden fur seem to glow even more. "T-T-T-Thank you, mister. I-I thought—"

There was a loud clang, in the distance, back on the beach. _The beach. Miles._ Gadget's heart leapt into his throat and he _bolted._

* * *

Glassy blue eyes snapped wide open and Miles heaved, his entire body jerking back compulsively. The movement resulted in him hitting his head on something hard and metal behind him. He hissed in pain and sat upright, bringing a trembling hand to the aching spot.

He was drenched in sweat, burning hot and shaking uncontrollably. Vaguely he could feel dampness pooling in his eyes. He could barely—he could barely breathe, and it was so fucking hot. In a fit of frustration he threw the blanket he was curled under off of himself, rasping as he groped uselessly to feel the ground beneath him, to feel _something._ He _had_ to feel something, because right now he felt simultaneously nothing and everything all at once, this parasitic emptiness clawing at him from the pit of his stomach and this white hot sensation eating him alive as all of his senses went into overdrive.

The ground. Soft. Grainy. It felt like sand. Where was he? Why was there sand? He thought—he thought—

Chaos, he was wasting so much time, Infinite had just gotten away and Sonic was gone and he hadn't saved him, he was too much of a fucking coward and now—

" _Miles!_ "

He sucked in a breath, nearly sobbed when hands clamped onto each of his shoulders. His vision became filled with fluffy red fur and wide, amber eyes. Who—? Why was he—he needed to save Sonic, he'd just let him die and he couldn't—

"Miles, look at me."

The fox realized he'd been struggling against him, writhing helplessly and crying like an idiot. He released a shaky sigh and locked onto the two golden orbs staring right back at him.

Gadget. It was Gadget.

Everything came back in a tsunami, drowning him suddenly and painfully. He—He wasn't in the junkyard anymore, when he'd lost Sonic. No. He'd lost Sonic six months ago. (But they had gone back last night to get the Tornado, and he'd foolishly assumed that nothing could've gone wrong and then Infinite showed up again and he'd just—he'd just _watched_ as he nearly stole one of his friends' lives again, as he strangled Gadget till his lips turned blue and he was sputtering for air, no no _no, he couldn't lose anyone again, he couldn't—please—)_

Tears spilled down his cheeks but Gadget was here, and he looked _awful_ but he was _alive_ and he was _breathing._ Good. Good. Infinite hadn't taken him away too.

Miles cupped a hand over his mouth, smothering the sobs that crept up his throat and quelling the tears that pooled in his eyes. He was fine. It was just a dream. That was six months ago. He had survived last night; _both_ of them. Gadget was still here.

"… Can you speak?"

The kit shuddered and nodded. "I'm fine," he croaked.

Gadget suddenly looked very tired, and Miles was aware that he was sick of the fronts and the lies but he just—he _couldn't._ He needed a break from the emotions. "Kid—"

"I said I'm _fine,_ " he bit out, feeling somewhat more stable despite the way he still trembled just slightly. "… Just a stupid nightmare."

 _(—it had felt so fucking real, like he was reliving it all over again, watching Sonic's blood pour into the dirt and screaming till his vocal chords couldn't work anymore because he couldn't do anything—)_

Just a stupid nightmare.

Reluctantly, Gadget relinquished his firm grip on the fox's shoulders. He sighed in slight exasperation before standing up to give him some space. Miles rubbed his face and raked his fingers through his messy bangs. He was barely even shaking anymore. (His twin tails continued to swish around anxiously behind him, in betrayal.)

"Well," the wolf said. "I literally just, uh—I met a friend, I think."

Ice surged through his veins. "What?"

Silently, a much shorter mobian stepped out from behind Gadget, where he had been hiding. A yellow squirrel, with a wild quiff and these big, blue goggles on his head. He also happened to wear a matching blue bandana around his neck, Miles noted.

"H-H-Hello. A-Are you okay? You were crying a lot." From the intensity of the kid's stammer, he figured it had to be some speech impediment, as opposed to pure timidity. He was definitely shy-looking, though.

Gadget flashed the boy a brief, warm smile, before looking to Miles. Self-consciously, the fox wiped the lingering moisture from his face and slowly rose to his feet. "When you were—sleeping, I heard some rustling over in those woods." Gadget beckoned over to the foliage that stretched along the beach for probably hundreds of miles. "Turns out it was just him… Erm—"

"M-My name is Ray," the boy provided, with a sheepish grin. He looked at Miles. "Y-Your friend saved me! T-T-There was this big, s-scary robot—"

Miles dawned a look of apprehension, to which Gadget quickly cut in, "It was just a motobug." The teenager relaxed a bit.

Putting on a careful smile, Miles crouched down to be at eye-level with Ray. His eyes barely even burned anymore. "Well I'm glad he was there to help you. Can I ask what you were doing out here, all alone?"

The squirrel shrugged. "Just getting some f-firewood. A-And looking for some scrap parts to help my brother."

Gadget frowned. "You have a camp?"

"I have a house!" Ray corrected, looking giddy. The two canines exchanged a look, and the boy suddenly looked more withdrawn; nervous. "… Um, i-i-if you guys want, I could show you…?"

"Do you live alone?" Gadget asked.

Ray shook his head. "I-I have lots of friends!"

Miles wavered. "… Would they attack us if we just showed up on their doorstep?"

"Nu-uh!" the squirrel chirped with another shake of the head, now bouncing on his toes. "The wolf guy s-saved me. I-I-I'll just tell them you guys are nice!"

It wasn't that simple, though. Sure, Ray was a good kid, but if they followed him back to his "friends" they'd surely be sentencing themselves to death. For all they knew he lived with a bunch of murderous bandits who were just waiting to ambush them once the squirrel led them right into their trap—willingly or not. They needed to think about this. Get some more information.

Ray grabbed Gadget's wrist and broke into a run. "C'mon! Y-You gotta meet my big brother!"

Miles nearly keeled over. " _Wait!_ "

He charged after them but the kid was just too damn fast—he seemed to know this forest by heart, as he weaved and ducked seamlessly around the thick fauna that clustered on the forest floor and dangled over their heads. He was giggling as he ran, and Gadget could only stumble after him, being forcibly pulled along. And Miles was fast—he'd learned from the best—but there were too many rocks and branches and shrubs in the way that he just couldn't reach his full speed, and _fuck, what if they were walking right into an ambush—_

A stray branch whipped against his arm and he gritted his teeth against the pain that flared across the limb, losing his concentration and eventually his footing before—before colliding right into a stationary Gadget.

"Wha-?" The fox looked up to see a massive brick wall before them, tall and formidable. It stretched around some huge enclosure that was completely blocked off. Gadget seemed to be looking at the wall in a similar amazement, himself.

With a wry grin Ray led them over to a gate—supposedly, the only entrance inside.

He nearly let them walk right in, before a giant coyote stepped outside, not exactly looking pleased.

"What the bloody hell is this?" the burly man barked, immediately grabbing Ray and pulling the kid behind himself defensively. He had this gravelly, Aussie accent (from Downunda maybe?), his auburn fur was strikingly bold, and his steel blue eyes jaded. He snarled and aimed a rifle slung over his back directly at Miles and Gadget, who instantly recoiled.

"We don't want any trouble!" the wolf yelped, raising his hands in surrender. "W-We can just leave right now, we don't have to bother you—"

The coyote ignored Gadget's pleas and turned around to look at a certain bashful squirrel. "Ray, who are these people?"

"T-T-They're friendly, Gunt, I promise," the boy murmured, wringing his large tail with the best puppy-eyes he could pull. "The red one saved my life."

The coyote—Gunt?—sharply turned back to the other two boys, baring his fangs and hovering a finger over the trigger. "Explain yourselves, now. Before I get testy."

 _You seem a little more than testy already,_ Miles didn't say, because he'd of course picked up on Sonic's snarky comments over the years, but he also knew when to hold his tongue. Instead he settled on a cautious, "We were just passing by, and we met Ray. He insisted that we come here, but we really don't have to if you don't want us."

The coyote didn't reply, just frowned and narrowed his eyes and looked them over—as if that alone would be enough to come to a conclusion. Frankly, Miles was a little surprised. If he were him, he'd have shot already.

"What in the world is all the ruckus out there?" came a new voice, light yet tainted with a _very_ southern accent. Out stepped a female rabbit wearing this pink leotard and a fucking cowboy hat of all things, and—and were those _cybernetic limbs?_

Following after her was another woman, maybe a gerbil or chipmunk? And she had this ridiculous head of thick, red hair, in a pixie cut. She eyed them keenly but remained silent, looking guarded

The coyote shifted the rifle in his arms. "Ray found some 'friends.'"

The rabbit stepped out further to get a good look at Gadget, and then Miles. Her eyes suddenly widened in an epiphany and she gasped.

"Oh! You're that kid! Sonic the Hedgehog's friend, right? You're Tails!"

Miles felt nauseous. He could feel Gadget's eyes searing a gaze into the side of his head and fuck, he probably had so many questions and now was just _not_ the time and Chaos this was such a huge mistake, they never should've come here—

"What is she talking about?" the wolf hissed to him, remaining unmoving as he continued to hold his hands up. Miles couldn't find the courage to reply.

The coyote sneered. "You know them?"

"Well," the rabbit shrugged, toying with the hem of her hat. "I know the fox-boy from TV. He's the Sonic the Hedgehog's sidekick—I mean, I'm pretty sure he is. Are ya'?"

He forgot how to speak. _No point in lying anymore._ After a beat of silence, he somehow got his mouth to work, and managed a quiet, "Yes."

The rabbit beamed. "Great! Then maybe y'all can help us out, if you're like, superheroes or whatever!" She looked to the grumpy man, lowering her voice and speaking more urgently. "C'mon, Guntiver. This kid's supposed to be like, a tech wiz, or summin'. If _anybody_ can help us out it's him."

He sighed wearily. "Bunnie—"

"Don't you _'Bunnie'_ me," she retorted, crossing her arms. "You and I know _full well_ that that stubborn armadillo ain't never gonna be able to make that emerald tracker."

Miles (—Tails? Oh, Chaos, now was not the time for an identity crisis) blinked. "Sorry, did you say emerald tracker?"

The rabbit—Bunnie—looked at him to respond, but then Guntiver just nudged her shoulder and nodded to the chipmunk-girl, who had yet to say a word. She looked pensive, a small frown marring her face.

"Well then, it's up to the boss, isn't it?"

A long pause lapsed over them, and five pairs of anxious eyes landed on the silent woman. Eventually, she dawned a gentle smile and stepped forwards, tucking her hands into the pockets of her blue vest. She gestured for the coyote to lower his gun with the scolding look of a tired old grandmother, despite probably being in her early twenties.

"It's nice to meet you two. My name's Sally Acorn. Welcome to Knothole."

* * *

 **hehe i almost moved that last bit to the next chapter just cos this one was getting so long but i couldn't resist the cliffhanger :) that's right babey the archie cast has joined the party! plus we finally saw the backstory of what happened to sonic b4 everything happened! tails is traumatized! and the resistance now has a game plan!**

 **i do wanna stay tho, just for the record: this fic, as i have previously established, _follows the game canon._ which means that sonic & co have _never met_ any of the archie comics characters. just figured i should clarify that to avoid future confusion uwu**

 **anyways thx for reading this monstrously long chapter! drop a review to boost my nonexistent self-esteem lol!**


	10. before

**aw yeah chapter 10 babey! tbh not my fav chapter, but essential to the plot nonetheless. enjoy :)**

* * *

 **X.**

 _before (bəˈfôr)_

 _[noun]_

 _a time earlier than._

* * *

Knothole was really kind of amazing, Gadget thought. He couldn't help but gape like an idiot at it, taking in his surroundings sluggishly and simply marveling. It was spectacular. It was _safe._

Maybe it was just his inner-straggler speaking. He hadn't found himself to behold any form of community or security in months. Even back before he met Miles, when he'd been staying with the others in the college dorms, everything felt on edge. The walls were only so thick and they were right in the heart of the city, constantly stirred awake from explosions and crashes of metal and the distant chants of patrolling Egg Pawns. _Then,_ it had only been a matter of time until they were found and—and the rest of them slaughtered.

And then even when he had found Miles, only just a few days ago, they still stalked the streets of Westopolis in hesitance, in fear. They still had nothing but canned food and homemade weaponry. They still nearly encountered death on multiple occasions, with the Egg Emperor, with Infinite _(with Zero)._

But _now_ —now he was here, in this quaint, unassuming little village. There were makeshift walls that were undoubtedly formidable wrapping around the vicinity standing nearly twice as tall as the buildings. He could hear calm, jubilant voices strewn about because the people here actually felt comfortable enough to just lounge around and exchange small talk. There was a windmill whirling steadily in the back of the town, like a guardian angel watching over them all. In the center of Knothole was a massive pavilion filled with tables and chairs and a random assortment of other furniture, and just beside it, a large bonfire that surely had seen its fair share of fun, lazy cookouts.

Now, as Gadget stood in the entrance to Knothole, he felt like he could breathe again. He felt like he'd been drifting aimlessly for weeks on end, living on old packs of ramen and cans of peaches and raw adrenaline for far too long. Here—here he got to exhale, got to feel the relief wash out of him. He got to smell grills cooking fresh meals, and hear the distant laughter all around him, and feel his shoulders slacken for the first time in an eternity.

The rabbit—Bunnie, he'd quickly come to learn—chuckled jovially and draped an arm over both himself and Miles, respectively. "You boys look awful hungry. Let's find ya' some grub."

Gadget exchanged a fleeting look with the fox. It was instantly laced with this tension that made his stomach churn and throat close up. The kid looked—ashamed? Upset? He couldn't tell, but it wasn't good.

 _Tails._ His name was _Tails._ Vaguely, the wolf could recall the name in passing on the television, but—but he'd never been very interested in Sonic the Hedgehog or his antics in the past. As long as the guy kept the planet safe and did his own thing, Gadget couldn't have cared less.

But now he just felt kind of stupid. He'd been venturing about with a celebrity? With the sidekick to the world-renowned hero, Sonic the Hedgehog? How blind was he?!

(In his defense, Miles _—fuck, Tails—_ wasn't nearly as famous as the blue blur. He wouldn't have ever guessed, probably, unless somebody had just told him, point blank, that this kid was a superhero. Which, uh, _did_ happen. About five minutes ago.)

Gadget cleared his throat. The aroma of freshly cooked meat and vegetables teased his nose flirtatiously and he could instantly feel himself salivating. "Hungry is an understatement."

Bunnie laughed again. Her joy was kind of contagious. "Perfect! Lunch isn't for a few hours still, but we'll make an exception for y'all."

"Thank you," Miles said. When the wolf attempted to steal another glance at him, the fox looked distracted and downcast. His eyes were busy studying the architecture of the village.

With a nod, Bunnie guided them into a building that looked more grandiose than the rest. The first floor was filled with china cabinets and prestigious conference tables and tapestry. They headed upstairs and entered a more humble office. There was a picture of the chipmunk girl—Sally—and some other chipmunk, a male who looked pretty similar to her, propped up on the desk.

After taking a moment to insure the chairs were comfortable enough, the rabbit stepped back. "Sal will be here in a minute. I'm gonna go get y'all some food."

And then they were alone.

There was a suffocating silence that caught them like helpless fish in a net far too big and overwhelming for them to ever escape, until Gadget broke it by shifting slightly in his chair to look at Miles.

"So," he said, cautiously. The fox refused to meet his eyes, instead staring absently ahead with this strange focus. Gadget felt like he was trying to diffuse a bomb. "Your name—"

"I'm sorry," Miles said, and the wolf faltered because he was expecting a lot of different outcomes from this conversation but it was _definitely_ not that. The fox took a moment to find his words. "… Look, back when we first met—"

"Hey guys!"

The pair froze and turned in their seats. It was Sally. They shared a silent look of, _we'll continue this later._ Secretly, Gadget felt relieved. He wasn't sure if he was quite ready to talk about… whatever the hell this was just yet.

The chipmunk made her way to her desk, completely oblivious to the awkwardness. She laced her fingers intricately on top of the table and gave a gentle smile.

"Bunnie will be back soon with some food. In the meantime, I figured we'd get to know each other."

"I'm Gadget, and this is…"

Miles spoke before he could fumble for an answer. "I'm Tails."

Sally grinned. "So I've heard. I've also heard you're rather intelligent. There's a resident here who's been working on a project for a long time now with no luck. We thought maybe you could help him out." _As payment for us letting you stay here,_ went unsaid. Miles— _Tails_ swallowed.

(It'd be okay. They seemed to trust them enough—thanks to Gadget saving Ray's life that morning… Now, if that _hadn't_ happened, then they might have been in a different situation.)

(But they were _here,_ and it was _fine,_ and they were _safe._ That's what mattered.)

"And I, uh," Gadget started, unsurely. "I'm not nearly as smart as him, but I'm willing to help out in any way I can. We're—We're very grateful for your hospitality."

"We're glad to have you," Sally replied. "So, as soon as you get some food in your stomachs, I thought I'd show you around and introduce you to everyone else. Plus, you gotta meet the guy working on the emerald tracker in the first place."

When Gadget looked at Miles all he could see was a brain busy at work, conjuring up a million questions and solutions in a matter of seconds. He supposed he couldn't help but relate. He had a lot of questions too. For starters, _what the hell did they mean by emerald tracker?_ Although it seemed even the fox knew the answer to that question.

Behind them a door creaked open and all three mobians turned their attention to see Bunnie return. She bared a sheepish smile as she balanced a few dishes and cups, precariously making her way to the desk before settling them down before the ravenous-looking boys.

If Gadget was being frank, he had no clue what he was staring at. Some sort of stew, it seemed, with chunks of ambiguous meat and beans and other miscellaneous ingredients. In retrospect, he probably should have been more cautious, given they were in foreign territory with people they didn't know if they could trust yet. Miles certainly looked wary as he prodded at the stew with a slight frown.

Gadget, on the other hand, indulged. He was too hungry to concern himself with the hypotheticals.

His stomach did not object.

* * *

The workshop was a wonderland for Tails. Granted, it was in a state of shambles and wasn't nearly as splendorous as his own, back in Mystic Ruins, but it had been months since he had entered such a familiar atmosphere as this. He could smell the oil and sizzling circuitry; he grinned lightly upon noticing the scraps of paper and metal strewn about.

It was small and bare-bones and just about anything but the luxuries of his own, but Tails felt comfort in here.

A figure rounded the corner, beads of sweat dripping down his face as he cradled some large, blocky contraption and fiddled with the controls on it. From beside himself and Gadget, Ray giggled and bounded forwards.

The stranger gasped and nearly dropped the thing when the squirrel wrapped himself around his waist, before something fond came over him and he smiled warmly, running fingers through Ray's golden fur.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?" he asked. He was an armadillo, Tails deduced, from his bright red shell. His fur was thin and black beneath it, and he fashioned a mostly leather getup consisting of fingerless gloves and combat boots. From beneath the hood of his red armor, blue eyes twinkled with charisma and almost pride.

And then he followed Ray's gaze and noticed Tails and Gadget. Instantly, his entire demeanor shifted. He set the machine (which he had, miraculously, managed to balance effortlessly in one hand) on a table beside him, and pushed Ray behind him. Warm blue eyes became clouded in ice and malice.

"Who are you?"

"T-T-They're friends, d-don't worry!" Ray assured. The armadillo did not waver in the slightest, though.

Gadget held up his hands in surrender. "We met Sally and Bunny," he explained, slowly. "They're letting us stay here—you can ask them yourself."

"On the condition that we help create an emerald tracker," Tails elaborated. He tried to keep himself as steeled and unyielding as the armadillo was, but it proved to be a difficult feat. "We're here to help."

The armadillo narrowed his eyes, before drawing his brows together, almost in confusion. "Wait, are you-? You're that kid, aren't you? Sonic the Hedgehog's sidekick."

To his side, Gadget sighed wearily, a quiet thing. Tails' heart panged with guilt, but smothered the feeling and nodded.

That seemed to change things. Any lingering aggression fled the armadillo, and he smiled at them, wide and sure, extending out a hand. "It's an honor to meet'cha, Mister Tails. The name's Mighty."

Tails regarded the hand in vague bemusement before accepting it. Mighty's grip was strong and made his fingers twitch in pain.

"Just Tails is fine."

Gadget cleared his throat. "So, what exactly is an emerald tracker? I feel like I've missed something."

The fox nearly explained, but Mighty was already piping up. "It's a device that's supposed to be able to pick up on the energy signals that Chaos Emeralds emit. You can use them to, well, track emeralds." He looked to Tails, sheepish. "I, uh, actually got inspired by your inventions to make this bad boy! You're pretty damn smart, kid. I still can't even figure out how you make these things."

The teen looked at him incredulously and felt his lips twitch at that. People were actually inspired by him?

"Um," he stammered, jarred by Mighty's words. "Well—Well let's start working, yeah?"

Mighty nodded eagerly and gestured the two boys to come over and take a look at his contraption.

Gadget suddenly seemed to feel very out of place, because he squirmed uncomfortably and started for the door. "Maybe I'd be more helpful elsewhere. Mi— _Tails_ is the mechanic, not me."

Seeming to consider this, Mighty nudged for Ray to join the wolf. "That's fine. Ray, go with him to see if Sally has any jobs for him. We can use all the help we can get, even just gathering some more firewood."

With a nervous nod, Gadget left with a giddy squirrel in tow.

Tails swallowed thickly and focused on studying Mighty's device. Every second that passed just made him feel even worse about Gadget, but there were more pressing issues at the moment. Like the emerald tracker.

It was exponentially more bulky and slow than his own models, and it was nowhere near completion, but it was a start. Tails started opening the back of it and observing the wiring.

"So what brings you here to Knothole?" Mighty wondered, watching as the fox dissected the machine.

Tails shrugged. "We landed on the beach last night to rest, and we happened to meet Ray. He's the one who brought us here."

Mighty shook his head in disapproval, but there was a smirk playing at his lips. "That kid," he muttered. "I always tell him to stay away from strangers and never wander alone, but—"

"But he never listens?" the kit filled in, looking back to the armadillo.

"But he never listens."

The thought stirred something warm and tender in Tails' gut. It made him reminisce of when he was just as young as the squirrel, and equally as reckless. He thought of Sonic (perhaps the first time in months that the very name didn't make him nauseas), and all the times the hedgehog had been overprotective of him on their adventures. Even the mere gesture of Mighty hiding Ray behind himself was precisely something Sonic would have done.

His heart ached something melancholy, and he immediately snuffed those thoughts out. "So you guys are…?"

"Brothers," Mighty said, automatically. He was transfixed on the tracker. "Well, not biologically, obviously. But we grew up in a foster home together. After the war, we ran away together and came across this place." A pause. "What about you? You're part of a team, right? Where's Sonic and Shadow and all those other guys?"

Tails nearly choked on his own spit. "They—um. Sonic never lived to see the war."

Mighty fell silent. "Oh. I'm sorry about that. He… He must've meant a lot to you." He processed this information for a moment, eyes blown wide as he stared into nothing. Infinite killed Sonic just before the bombings, just before Eggman took over for good. Since then there hadn't been any way for news to travel; people either lived in hiding or as slaves to the empire—or they were executed for the slightest sign of treason. There were no other options.

And it wasn't surprising how shocked Mighty seemed, really. Sonic was a symbol of hope to the world. To hear he had died—and so unceremoniously, so soon—was a sickening thought and a painful blow to whatever remnants of faith people were still clinging onto.

Uneasy from the whirlpool of emotions stirring within himself, Tails cleared his throat. "… This tracker isn't a bad start," he said. He tried to ignore the way his fingers trembled ever so slightly. Luckily, it seemed the sound of his voice managed to stir the armadillo from his own state of shock. "But—"

"I know, it's pretty bad," Mighty frowned. "I'm not too good with this kinda stuff."

Tails pursed his lips. "Then why are you trying to make this in the first place?"

He shrugged. "We used to have a real mechanic here—Rotor. But he… passed a few months ago. I was basically his assistant though, so I'm the most qualified out of the others to creates something like this."

"But," the fox started. Things weren't quite lining up. "But why are you trying to—do this at all? What do you want with the Chaos Emeralds?"

"I wanna help," Mighty said, simply. Tails eyed him oddly. "I mean—I know there's some sort of resistance out there. And—and here, in Knothole? Sally just wants everyone to be safe. Which is fine, of course, but all we're doing is just hiding and waiting for someone else to save us. I'm tired of waiting. I wanna do something, contribute. I wanna be my own kind of hero."

Tails could empathize. That was his same thought process all those years ago, when he first became Sonic's sidekick. The way Sonic had just—put himself out there, taken action, was awe-inspiring for anyone.

With a fond smile, Tails got to work.

* * *

The group they elected to venture out to Capital City was decidedly Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, and Espio—the stealthiest and fastest members of the resistance. With a parting call of Amy ("be careful, guys!") and a cocky remark from Sonic ("please, we'll be back before you know it"), Shadow warped them away in the blink of an eye.

Left in their wake was the rest of the resistance, whose job was just to hold down the fort until they got back. Vanilla and Cream went back to preparing meals as the mother attempted to salvage any form of normalcy in raising a child in the middle of a war. The Chaotix resumed guarding the base, with the assistance of Silver and the rest of the miscellaneous resistance members. Amy and Knuckles found themselves back in the chamber that held the Master Emerald.

Knuckles sighed, a long and heavy thing. He was sat right before the Master, eyes closed as he tried to break through whatever barriers were blocking him off from Tikal and the Special Zone. The red crystallization that clung to it like a parasite acted like one too, rapidly spreading and quickly gaining strength. The poor connection he had with the Master was feeble and exhausted; he could feel just how drained it felt by merely concentrating on its strained energies, and it made him quiver from exertion. He wished, so badly, that he could just tear the red right off of the M.E.—but the others refused to let him take such a risk again. Last time he touched it, he went into an induced coma.

A ginger hand landed on his shoulder, and he lethargically opened his eyes to look at the newcomer. Amy watched him with something unreadable in her wide, jade eyes. They simply stared at each other for a few moments, before she smiled hesitantly and lifted up a clump of fresh grapes for him to see.

"Brought you a snack," she said, her voice quiet. She was well aware of his pounding headache and the mere fatigue settled in his bones. "Figured you'd need one."

The guardian looks at the fruit in unspoken awe, before taking one and popping it in his mouth. With a single bite there was a burst of flavor, sweet and tangy, dancing frivolously along his tongue. He hummed in delight, savoring the grape, before frowning at her.

"Where'd you find these?" Fresh food was hard to come by, nowadays. Anything that wasn't dead or deserted was too dangerous to approach.

Amy grinned cleverly and tilted her head. "I went out for a little walk to stretch my legs. Found them by the old shrine."

He chewed on another grape. "You should stay closer to HQ. I know Angel Island is hidden but we can't risk anything."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Knuckles. The shrine isn't too far from here."

Besides, Angel Island _was_ safe. HQ was tucked away in a small clearing on it, hidden by miles of thick forest and ancient ruins. And since the Master Emerald wasn't back in the shrine (too risky; who knew how the virus would react to that), it simply looked like a regular island just off the coast of the United Federation. As long as they didn't let it lift back into the air, Angel Island was totally invisible to Eggman.

Regardless, Knuckles grumbled in protest and closed his eyes again to resume his meditations. "Still dangerous. Don't be stupid."

Amy smiled and nudged his shoulder playfully. "Hey, don't get back in the zone yet. You still have to teach me more about Chaos—you know, 'cause you're my mentor, remember?"

He could spot her underlying intentions a mile away: she was just trying to get him to take a break from his stress. And under any other conditions, he'd immediately object—but she did have a point. He hadn't exactly had the time to train her, between finding the Master, and Sonic showing up, and rescuing Shadow.

"Fine," he grunted. The echidna eased her into sitting criss-cross, beside himself. Both of her hands rested on each leg, palms up. Absently, he placed a hand into hers, and his pulse instantly skyrocketed. He suddenly felt very hot and very nervous. "… Uh, close your eyes."

She complied, and Knuckles swallowed the knot in his throat. He was fine. This was fine. They were just—friends, he was training her, as a mentor. (Do _not_ think about the kiss. Don't you _dare._ )

He took a steadying breath. "I'm gonna teach you a prayer. When you recite it, it helps you call upon the emeralds' power. But use it sparingly—it can drain both your energy and theirs."

Amy nodded, already relaxed and focused. She squeezed his hand and he tried to ignore the way chills raced down his spine.

"Okay, repeat after me." Knuckles closed his own eyes, and instead of meeting darkness, he was met with a dull green that he could feel permeating the air all around him. He tried to ignore the red that pierced through. " _The servers are the seven chaos._ "

"The servers are the seven chaos."

" _Chaos is power._ "

"Chaos is power."

" _Power enriched by the heart._ "

"Power enriched by the heart."

" _The controller is the one that unifies the chaos._ "

Amy let out a deep exhale. "The controller is the one that unifies the chaos."

The gravity seemed to shift around them, pulling them closer to the earth beneath them. Amy could feel heat running along her skin, almost scratching at her, desperately trying to claw its way in. It felt strange; good, in a way—alluring and ravenous and powerful—but scary. Lethal.

The energy began to burn her. She could feel it crawling down her throat and festering in her lungs, poisoning her, searing into her soul. It hurt. It hurt _badly._ She—she tried to gasp for air but her chest felt tight, like it was furling itself around her, suffocating her like a boa constrictor, sapping away all her strength till she was nothing, because she was nothing, nothing compared to—

" _Amy._ "

Something fluttered inside her and she could breathe again.

"Hey, Amy, calm down. Open your eyes."

She did. Everything was swaying and blurred around the edges. She thought maybe the corners of her vision were tinted red.

Knuckles was there, though. He wrapped a strong arm around her and pulled her close, and Amy let him. She released a shuddering breath and burrowed against him.

"Sorry, shit, I should've—That was a bad idea. The Master is unstable right now, it isn't safe to draw on its energy. It's… It's too corrupted."

His words sounded so tired, so empty. Defeated.

Her skin still tingled with the residue of a scathing energy, and she hugged him tighter. The guardian rested his cheek against her forehead and let her relax in his hold.

When Knuckles looked back at the Master Emerald, he felt something cold and hard sink into the pit of his stomach. There was no longer a miniscule, unnoticeable fissure along its surface; no insignificant blemish.

Instead, it was a massive, wretched spider web of cracks stretching across green and glowing sickening, abhorrent, and _red._

* * *

The blinding light faded and Sonic's vision was filled with magnificent skyscrapers and bounds of endless, white steel. Capital City was a behemoth in its own right; simply standing in the midst of it made him feel puny and weak, even from the top of one of the buildings.

His ears were filled with the incessant noise of jackhammers and drills and whirring machinery as Eggman's bots milled around the city, mindlessly accomplishing their tasks. The monstrous, pristine towers were dotted with orange and purple and red mechs that flew and ran and climbed about. Sonic had a sudden itch to turn every single one of them to scrap metal.

Seeming to catch onto his jumpiness, Shadow grabbed his wrist and shook his head. "Don't get ahead of yourself. We need to be careful here; we have a mission."

Espio nodded in agreement, scanning the forest of metal keenly. "Can you guys sense where the emerald might be?"

Shadow closed his eyes and took a refreshing, deep breath. Crimson eyes snapped back open and he pointed in the distance towards a road suspended in midair, supported only by a few pillars. There were several roads similar to it twisting all about the city, each at varying elevations. In another world, it'd remind Sonic of some futuristic utopia, with all the pearly white skyscrapers and hexagons and domes and winding streets. But this place—here, in the middle of a war and brimming with sadistic robots, he felt like he was standing in the deepest depths of hell.

"Somewhere over there," the ebony hedgehog said, and he furrowed his brows. "It feels like it's… _moving._ "

Sonic cocked his head to the side. "Being transported? Maybe there are some buzz bombers here or somethin'."

Rouge shook her head. "I dunno. A Chaos Emerald seems a little too important to be trusted with a couple of flying bees, but Eggman's a whack job, so who's to say?"

The blue blur snorted at that and exchanged a smirk with the bat, before Shadow stepped forwards to get a better view of the span of Capital City. His gaze seemed to catch on a particular outpost of badniks, large and brooding against the bright skyline. It didn't stand nearly as tall as some of the other skyscrapers, but the large satellite on its roof and plethora of wires and machinery running along its walls made it look particularly important.

"We should split up," he said after a moment. "Two of us will investigate the emerald, and the other two will head towards that outpost."

Sonic frowned. That tower was _teeming_ with bots. "I thought we weren't supposed to draw attention to ourselves?"

"If we can't steal the emerald without avoiding contact, that outpost will be the first to know—and we don't need to fight more badniks than necessary." Shadow wavered. "But, as long as we remain incognito, all we'll have to do is keep an eye on it."

"I'll fly ahead and see if I can figure out where the emerald is," Rouge said.

Shadow nodded and gestured to their communicators. "Stay in touch."

The bat took off seamlessly, pushing off the ground and beating her wings with a force that made the three males stumble back and brace themselves. She glided through the air towards the road-bridge-thing until she was just a tiny speck in the sky, lost to the conglomeration of metal.

With an exasperated huff, Sonic hopped down to sit on the edge of the roof, dangling his feet over and pouting like a child. "Ugh. I hope this mission's more exciting than just spying on stupid robots."

Espio rose a brow at him. "Careful what you wish for."

Just then, their communicators hissed with static before Rouge's voice came through, muted and crackling.

" _Boys, I think I found the emerald._ "

Sonic was instantly on his feet, preening over Shadow's shoulder to stare intently at the walkie-talkie. He vaguely reminded Shadow of a dog pawing at the door for his owner to return. "Where is it?"

" _Uh, well._ " Rouge hesitated, and it did not bode well with any of them. " _Metal Sonic is here._ "

Shadow shot Sonic a glare, as if he were to blame for jinxing them. "That exciting enough for you?"

Sonic found it rather difficult to feign the sudden feeling of terror that washed over him.

* * *

 **tensions are rising w gadget and tails! mighty's here! knuckles is dumb and in love! the master emerald is fucked and so is Team Rescue The Emerald!**

 **ugh sorry this chapter was so short and mostly just dialogue/exposition/buildup. i promise next chapter will be a lot more exciting and hopefully a lot longer haha**

 **drop a review if u enjoyed!**


	11. bedlam

**yeet i've really been on a roll lately w these quick updates, huh?**

 **this chapter is a lil intense but nothing out of the ordinary lol**

* * *

 **XI.**

 _bedlam (bedləm)_

 _[noun]_

 _a scene of uproar and chaos._

* * *

The wind felt considerably colder than before as it lapped against Sonic's face. He trailed behind Shadow in a daze, nearly lagging behind. He was so preoccupied with his own whirlwind of thoughts, and trying to keep up with Shadow's discreet movements around the city, that he didn't even notice they'd stopped until he just about ran into the immobile hedgehog, hiding behind a pile of crates.

Blinking, Sonic shook himself and smiled nervously. "Something up?"

Shadow just continued to stare. "Is everything okay?"

Ah. That.

He wasn't—Sonic was _fine._ He just. Well. Knowing that machine, that monster was still alive and kicking, roaming the streets, just waiting for him to show his face so it could finish what it failed to do last time, it—it, maybe, made his stomach churn, just a little bit. Maybe he was still just a bit jittery about being back on his feet, on a real mission, beating up robots, for the first time in six months. But he was fine. He always was.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Shadow shifted his footing. He looked Sonic up and down for a moment, then said in a lower tone, "You know, you don't have to do this."

The azure hedgehog faltered. "I—what?"

"This," Shadow gestured vaguely at nothing in particular. Something vulnerable and tender shimmered in his gaze. "I just mean, it… wouldn't be the worst idea if you returned back to HQ."

That sparked something hot and scalding in the pit of his stomach. Sonic frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

With a long sigh, Shadow pinched the bridge of his nose and ducked more into the shade, to further avoid detection. They were still in a dangerous location. They were supposed to keep moving, and reach that badnik outpost while Espio headed off to meet with Rouge. They were wasting time and every second they stood here just talking was another second closer to their likely inevitable encounter with trouble. (Because they always seemed to run into trouble. It's just what they did.)

"You know I don't mean that in any sort of rude way," Shadow said. "But, you just escaped captivity. You're still—covered in scars. Mentally and physically."

Sonic thoughtlessly glimpsed down at himself, something hard settling in his gut. That long, disgusting, pale scar still ran vertical down his chest, a ghost of Infinite, forever clinging to him, reminding him of his failure. His—his _fucking arm,_ metal and fake and so absolutely _not_ him.

"I'm just saying. I wouldn't be opposed to you taking a little while to rest and recover."

He bit the tip of his tongue and grimaced slightly. His steel digits twitched against his will, glitchy and wrong.

No. He was not just gonna—he had to prove them all wrong, Eggman and Infinite and their whole army of robot assholes. He was more than some helpless prisoner. When Infinite beat him and—and took him away, that was just a fluke. He'd get better now. He had to. He could handle this, because he was not a coward. He just… he just had to prove it. Just had to prove that he could do this without any coddling or pity or any of that bullshit.

He was fine. He wasn't gonna let them get the best of him, not again.

"Shads," Sonic muttered, locking gazes with his partner. He locked his jaw and hardened his stare. "I'm not going anywhere."

It was not up for debate.

Wordlessly, Shadow nodded, though not without a moment of hesitation, of fear, of that—that frustrating pity that all his friends always seemed to cast his way lately. Sonic didn't back down, just continued to stare back with his own unspoken urgency. _Let me do this. Let me prove I can do this again._

Streaks of blue and black tore down the winding streets of Capital City once again.

* * *

Gadget failed to stifle the bubbling laughter that spilled from his lips as he watched Ray frolic around the village. The kid had some aura of unbridled joy and innocence to him, and he spread it wherever he went. It was enough to numb the constant fear and anxiety that'd been stirring in Gadget's gut since day one of the war—even if just for a moment.

A door to some building across the street creaked open, and a giggling rabbit emerged, her eyes wide and sparkling. Shortly after, a coyote followed after her—though this man was significantly more scrawny and short than Guntiver. The white sashes over his chest and grandiose blade attached to his side almost made Gadget wonder if this guy was from some sort of royalty.

Bunnie took the coyote's hand—cybernetic fingers intertwined with fleshy ones—looking at him with something endearing and sappy in her gaze. She promptly glanced to Gadget, and smiled cordially.

"Hey!" she called, dragging the man along with her to Gadget. "How've ya' been, Gadget?"

The wolf shrugged. "Uh. M—Tails is helping out Mighty. I was supposed to follow Ray and look for something else to do, but…"

He gestured helplessly to the squirrel, who laughed jubilantly as he skipped down the dirt road. He was currently preoccupied with chasing a stray leaf in the wind—said leaf was what had distracted him in the first place, almost immediately after he and Gadget exited the workshop. And Gadget almost felt bad, because he should've probably been looking for Sally or something, but… it was kind of nice to just feel the cool breeze tickle his face, and watch the pure embodiment of innocence dart about before him.

Bunnie nodded in understanding. "That kid's a real sweetheart." She then blinked and laughed nervously, glancing to the coyote she still clung to. "Oh! I should probably introduce y'all. Gadget, this is my husband, Antoine. Honey, this is one of the new guys I was tellin' ya' about."

The coyote smiled and did a rather dramatic bow. When he spoke his voice was sharp and distinctly thick with something eastern. "It is a pleasure, Monsieur Gadget."

Gadget returned an awkward smile. "Nice to meet you."

Antoine took a moment to fix his pristine golden locks. They were parted nicely on top of his head. "Perhaps you could assist me with chopping up some of the firewood. There is plenty to get through and supper will be ready soon."

"What about Ray?" The squirrel continued to laugh and run around giddily, utterly oblivious to their conversation. Bunnie shrugged and cracked a lopsided grin.

"He could help y'all. I need to go see Sal, anyways."

Antoine nodded to his wife and made the dramatic gesture of kissing her knuckles. Her face reddened and with a parting peck on the lips, she shooed him off while heading towards that large building Sally presumably resided in, the same one he and Tails initially met with her in. Gadget had the urge to roll his eyes at the obviously very romantic coyote, but fought it down.

—Conversely, the sight almost made his heart ache. Seeing such an open display of affection made him regret not doing the same before— _before—_

… Yeah.

After the two males caught Ray's attention, Antoine began to lead them to a small clearing in the town, just a few feet from the massive pavilion and unlit bonfire. There was a large mound of un-chopped lumber waiting patiently for them. The coyote hefted up a large axe and began cutting through the logs, and Gadget tentatively took up the role of setting each one in position for him.

"So… you and Bunnie," the wolf began, because _Chaos_ he hated silences. "How long have you two been together?"

Antoine smiled warmly, fixated on his work. "Oh, just over a year. She is my everything. _Mon amour._ " Gadget caught blue eyes peering teasingly up at him. "And you? Surely you have someone to give your heart to?"

All Gadget could really do was just exhale sharply because wow, that was certainly a loaded question. What we he supposed to say, anyways? _Yes, actually, I'm dating the insane tyrant that conquered the entire planet._ Right. Because that'd go over well.

After a moment of deliberation he settled on an ambiguous, "I haven't seen him in a while," and left it at that. Antoine only rose a brow at him and pursed his lips.

"You are having troubles? I could perhaps give some advice."

Gadget shook his head. "No, I just…" _Wait, hang on._ "Uh, actually, I could maybe use some advice for something else—entirely unrelated."

Antoine watched him intently. He grunted as he chopped another log in half.

"So." Gadget swallowed thickly. "What do you think you'd do if… If you knew someone, really well, and you loved them—romantic or not. Just, just someone really close to you. But then they did something bad, l-like, really bad. And you didn't know how to tell your other friends without risking them getting mad at _you,_ or—or not understanding. And all you wanna do is help this person you love get better, because you know they didn't _mean_ to do the bad thing, but… nobody else will really believe you."

The other man looked at him with a vague smile, and something distantly sympathetic in his eyes. "That's a rather peculiar situation you're stuck in, _ami._ "

Gadget refused to make eye contact, instead opting to heave up another piece of wood for him to chop. "I'm just scared."

There was a pregnant pause and his chest felt so tight, it felt like it was collapsing in on itself, but—but then Antoine set down the axe and eased a firm hand on his shoulder, smiling charismatically.

"Gadget, these days, everybody seems to be making bad mistakes. We are only human after all. But I feel that if these friends truly trust you enough, they will trust you enough to help you help your loved one, no?"

"And if they don't?"

"They will," Antoine said. "Otherwise you cannot call them friends."

After mulling those words over in his mind, Gadget settled on a half-smile. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

* * *

Metal Sonic prowled the streets of Capital City like a feral animal. Espio quickly met up with Rouge, and she'd flown him to the rooftops of some buildings so he could tail loosely after the mech, with the assistance of his ability to camouflage against his surroundings, of course. The bat strayed even further away just to be safe, but still remained in range as a sort of safety net for him, in case things went awry.

But the bot seemed oblivious to the invaders. It just glided along languidly, only hovering a few inches above the ground as its engine propelled it forwards, seeming to lack any sort of destination in mind. It was only patrolling. Perfect for Espio to strike.

He kept his footsteps light and his breathing nearly muted, because that was what he knew. It came easily to him. The chameleon had had years of training, precisely for moments like this. All he had to do was wait for the proper moment to attack and get the emerald in the most efficient manner.

It was then, of course, that Metal stopped and touched down to the ground. It stared ahead blankly for a few seconds, before its opticals became filled with red and began to scan its surroundings. Espio held his breath and knelt close to the edge of the roof. Now was not the time to panic.

Eventually the robot seemed finished and contented with its scans, and looked as though it were about to take its leave. Espio ran an invisible hand down his face. When he looked back down at Metal, his heart leapt into his throat.

It was staring directly at him. " _You cannot hide._ "

His mind began to reel because what the fuck, how did it see him, he was perfectly camouflaged. It shouldn't have ever been able to find him.

And yet it did.

" _You organisms are so naïve,_ " it hissed. " _Stop pretending like you can avoid me, reptile. I know you are there._ "

Espio released a trembling sigh, and reached slowly for one of his shoes.

Metal twitched irately. " _I said—_ "

Without another moment of hesitation he flung a trio of ninja stars directly at the bot and leapt over the edge. He maintained his camouflage, in hope that it'd help him at least a little bit in this fight.

The badnik staggered backwards as two flashes of metal swiped past it, and one lodged itself in its shoulder joint. It growled and plucked the star out, tossing it unceremoniously to the ground as its optics immediately trained onto Espio.

With a snarl, the chameleon shed his invisibility (because clearly stealth was pointless, now) and lunged for Metal, extracting a kunai from his shoe and bringing it forward towards its engine. The robot was swift to react, grabbing for the blade and, promptly, Espio's wrist, yanking him forward and slamming him against the hard ground.

Espio groaned and rolled to his back. This street, suspended probably thousands of meters in the air, didn't feel like asphalt or concrete. It felt like fucking _titanium._ He pushed himself up from the polished surface and threw himself at Metal again, hooking an arm around one of its legs and throwing it off balance. It teetered forward and Espio groped for a stray ninja star on the ground, chucking it against the back of its skull.

It barely made a dent.

The newly forming bruises along his body screamed in protest at him as he staggered to his feet, but he mustered the strength to push through it. He watched warily, a kunai at the ready, as Metal tried to regain its bearings and acknowledge whatever it was that had lightly flicked the back of its head. When it plucked out the measly ninja star, it made some noise akin to a scoff and tossed it over the edge of the bridge. Espio gulped when he never heard it touch the ground. That was a long fall.

Metal idly studied its pristine claws as they glimmered in the sunlight. " _How pathetic. You mobians all assume you can even stand a chance against me._ " Venomous red orbs bored right through Espio's soul. " _How wrong you are._ "

In a sudden flurry of navy blue, overwhelming the chameleon's vision and forcing him to stumble backwards, Metal was right at his throat, bringing up a menacing hand with claws sharper than sharks' teeth. It ruthlessly slashed it down.

A cry of pain tore from Espio's throat as pain flared across his chest and all his lingering strength left with it. When he looked down at his torso all he could see were three twin slashes running diagonal across it from Metal's talons, and blood. So much blood. The pain was quickly joined by a sudden, unbearable cold, that washed hastily over his body. He felt faint and sick.

Espio got one good look into those merciless, glowering red optics, before he was thrown over the edge of the bridge and plummeted to his doom.

* * *

 _"Guys? Guys. We've got a problem."_

"Yeah," Sonic groused. "Us too."

There were currently a _lot_ of problems. It started almost immediately upon his and Shadow's arrival to the outpost, where they were stationed in a hollowed out building right beside it, spying out the window. And they'd only just arrived and were prepared to wait for word from Espio or Rouge when alarms abruptly started blaring over their ears and suddenly there was red flashing constantly, incessantly, and everywhere. The mob of badniks padding about the tower started going berserk and some of them had the brilliant idea to start firing their weapons haphazardly in every possible direction—which of course led to a torrent of bullets destroying the very window the hedgehogs had been looking through.

Shadow instinctively tackled Sonic to the ground to avoid getting hit, and luckily his reflexes proved fast enough. Glass rained down over their bodies and deflated bullet shells clattered about the empty, half-constructed room like pattering raindrops.

The fiancés exchanged a knowing glance before rolling behind solid wall where the bullets couldn't touch them to start formulating a new plan. They hadn't gotten very far before Rouge called.

Shadow grimaced. He looked tired. "You don't think our situations are connected, do you?"

Rouge grunted through the communicator, her voice distant and grainy. _"I think it's safe to bet that, yeah."_ There was some indistinguishable noise that Sonic could only describe as a painfully loud crash on the other end. _"Fuck. You guys need to get here right now."_

Sonic hazarded a glance around the hole in the wall that used to be a window. It was brief because he was not about to risk a bullet to the face. The badniks seemed to be distinctly aware of the fact that he and Shadow were hiding here, and that certainly was… not preferable.

"We're a little preoccupied at the moment," he groaned. Shadow was already exploring the small room, pointedly avoiding any windows in his search for a discreet escape.

 _"Sonic, Metal knows we're here."_

His heart skipped a beat, and the blue blur looked helplessly to Shadow. In the limited time they'd already spent together since both of them were rescued, they hadn't been able to really talk much, but the agent clearly knew just how fucked up Metal was. It nearly killed Sonic. It nearly dragged him right back to Infinite when he was so close to freedom. It caused Eggman to give him a prosthetic arm that only made Sonic want to scream and cry because it was so wrong, it di _dn't_ _belong on him, it didn't—_

Shadow was kneeling in front of him and squeezing his hands, and Rouge was still yelling in frustration over the communicator. "Sonic. Calm down. We're going to help them."

The cerulean male decided to just nod and swallow a greedy gulp of air. He figured if he tried to talk, all that'd come out would be incomprehensible muttering.

It'd be okay. They were gonna get out of here and help Rouge and Espio because that's what they _did._ They helped people. And Metal wasn't gonna hurt them, not like it hurt him. He'd make sure of it. He would stop it before it even laid a fucking finger on his friends.

After taking a moment to calm down, Shadow pointed to a small hole on the other side of the room that they could slip out of. Sonic swallowed the bile rising sickeningly up his throat, and nodded.

"We'll be there soon, Rouge."

* * *

He was falling, falling, falling, and the only word that could come to mind was _panic._ He nearly yelled but he found his voice had fled him already, leaving him to fall helplessly, forgotten to the world above.

Espio was rapidly approaching the ground and it instilled such a paralyzing fear into his very soul that he nearly forgot how to breathe. He forgot how to function.

It was dark down here, below the winding complex of various roads. The sunlight was completely blocked off and he was left alone to be swallowed whole by torn up concrete in the heart of a skyscraper jungle. He was going to die. He was going to die.

Something linked around Espio's waist, strong and tight, and he spat out a moan of pain because Metal's claws had dug so deep into his chest, and it was bleeding everywhere and it hurt so fucking bad—

He wasn't falling anymore.

Sputtering for air, the chameleon tried to twist around and see what had caught him. It vaguely registered in his muddled mind that the thing linked around his waist was an _arm._ If he focused hard enough, past the blood pounding in his ear drums, he could hear the steady beat of flapping wings.

"Ah, sorry hon!" Rouge. It was Rouge. She must have been apologizing for touching the gashes across his chest, or maybe for smearing his blood on her arm and his waist. He didn't really know. His vision was kind of fuzzy. "Sonic and Shadow are on their way. Meanwhile, I'm gonna get you to safety and hope Metal doesn't chase after us."

All Espio could muster was a half-hearted grunt.

Rouge beat her wings harder until they began to ascend the length of the skyscrapers again and approach the various roads suspended above. She hastily brought him into one that was devoid of any badniks and settled him on the ground, taking the care to make sure he was comfortable. Espio wanted to protest or—or do _something,_ but all his body wanted to do was take a really long nap.

"Just stay here," Rouge said, her teal eyes blown wide and frantic. "We just gotta take care of the killer robot for a second."

Not waiting another moment to hear any potential arguing, the bat made a mad dash for the opening she entered through, off to the side, and flew around to the front of the building to see the initial bridge Metal Sonic lurked on. Its engine started to swell up with a pale blue light and a hum that grew in a rapid crescendo soon as it locked eyes with her, and Rouge dived down towards the road. It was charging up some sort of laser and she needed to _move._

Just as the laser seemed to reach its climax, though, Metal faltered and looked behind the scrambling bat. The light began to fade and the hum died off as its posture shifted. Rouge frowned.

"What's the matter, big guy?" It was meant to sound taunting, but it only came out as a low, uneasy murmur, as she slowly rose to her feet to watch the robot oddly. "… Scared or something?"

Red optics briefly flickered back to her, before Metal lowered into a defensive position. It looked like it was bracing itself for something. " _Don't flatter yourself._ "

She sneered and nearly retorted the thing, when a swash of blue whipped past her, fast enough to knock her off her feet from the mere force of the wind tailing behind it. The blur collided with Metal Sonic and the robot caught it, revealing it to be a rapidly spinning ball made of probably pure tenacity and force. And spikes. _Lots_ of spikes.

Rouge smirked, just as a golden lance of Chaos energy sliced through the air above her, slamming into Metal's leg and causing it to topple under the combined strength of that and the blue ball.

Sonic promptly unrolled from his spindash and gave a resounding kick to the face of his doppelganger, grinning wildly as he pushed off it to land beside Rouge. Shadow touched down at her other side, his fists crackling with golden laces of energy.

"'Sup, Mets? It's been a minute, huh?" Sonic's voice was filled with exhilaration and his typical arrogance, but a quick side glance proved otherwise to the other two. He was trembling, only minutely, but it was still there. He looked considerably pale and jumpy.

 _Right._ His last encounter with Metal hadn't really gone too well.

Regardless, the badnik fell for the bait, its fingers twitching dangerously. " _I believe we have some unfinished business, hedgehog. Or do you need me to remind you?_ "

Sonic failed to suppress the chills that raced down his spine.

Burning light churned in Shadow's palms. "Enough talk."

Metal cocked its head at him. " _I like this one._ "

A lot happened all at once and it seemed to occur in slow motion. Sonic casted Rouge and Shadow a determined look and nod, a signal. Rouge promptly grabbed Shadow's wrist and boosted them into the air, just as Metal decided to charge forwards. Heat exploded from Shadow's hands as he unleashed a barrage of Chaos Lances, raining down on the mech like hellfire, and Sonic leapt to the side as Metal struggled to twist around the scalding blasts of energy.

Time seemed to catch up again, and Shadow let out a trembling breath.

Metal was still wavering on the ground, disoriented and frazzled. The ebony hedgehog took this opportunity to launch himself out of Rouge's grip and try to tackle the robot, but it saw his attack a mile away and caught his ankle, chucking him hundreds of feet down the road like he weighed nothing.

It failed, however, to remember that Sonic was standing right behind it after dodging its lunge and Shadow's barrage of Chaos Lances. It was completely unprepared for the speedster when he pushed it to the ground, pinning its wrists and grinning triumphantly.

"What's wrong, bud?" he taunted, wasting no time to start prying at its neck joint. "Can't handle the pressure?"

When its attempts to wrench Sonic's hands away proved fruitless, Metal was quick to calculate its next best option. It began heating up its engine again, just like before. The fool seemed completely oblivious. An easy target.

Shadow pulled had already gotten back up and was tearing down the winding, unblemished bridge again, horror twisting in his gut upon noticing the growing light from Metal's chest.

"Sonic, _move!_ "

The hero looked up at his partner's words, before he blinked back into realization and stared down at the charging engine. It was probably less than a second away from blasting directly into his face.

With a yelp he threw himself off the robot, rolling to the edge of the road and nearly slipping off. Rouge hastily swept down and caught him.

A massive blast of energy erected from the robot, while it just remained on the ground. It glared at Sonic, almost in annoyance. It didn't seem to be able to move.

Snickering, the hedgehog jogged up to the badnik and planted a foot firmly on the side of its face. The laser was still going, a bright blue beacon that fired endlessly into the sky. He could feel the raw heat emanating from it like an untamed fire. Metal seemed completely immobile, aside from the way it squirmed ever so slightly under the pressure of Sonic's foot.

"Aw, poor Mets, you can't even—"

The laser abruptly died off and Metal seemed to snap back into life, digging claws into Sonic's ankle. He yelled at the pain, but the robot was prompt to not give him a break. It groped for his other leg and pushed him to the ground, taking a moment to tower over him and just glower.

Another Chaos Lance struck its side, and Metal grumbled, before launching itself at Shadow and kicking him square in the gut. The agent heaved as the wind got knocked out of him, discombobulated for a moment, to which Metal thrust itself away again, back towards Sonic.

A few meters away, Rouge had her pistol out and fired bullet after bullet at the speedy robot, but they just bounced off him uselessly. Metal was unwavering in its flight as it snagged its claws around Sonic's throat and slammed him into the ground. But then it paused, to fiddle with the hedgehog's robotic arm, before its optics flickered with something foreign.

Sonic's prosthetic shifted to point its wrist down the bridge, and the metal plating shifted around for a moment before a miniature nozzle rose from the top of his wrist and began charging up a shot.

Except—except Sonic wasn't doing that. _He couldn't control his arm._ "What the f—"

He glanced to Shadow, where his arm seemed to be aiming directly at against his will. His fiancé was still standing there, dizzy and weak and on the verge of collapse and very unaware of his surroundings.

" _Shads!_ " he cried, his voice raw and desperate, because it was all he could do, Metal still had him pinned down and his muscles ached with every breath—fuck. He was gonna kill the man he loved and there was nothing he could do to stop it, fuck fuck _fuck—_

Just as a laser rocketed from his violet wrist, Shadow's ears twitched and his eyes locked directly onto Sonic, then the laser. He threw himself to the ground just as a needle of seething purple energy sliced through the air above him.

Metal seemed mildly irritated at this inconvenience, but Sonic was fuming. With his real arm, the one he could still control, he grabbed manically for his doppelganger's arm to try and get it off of him. Metal's speakers fizzled as if it were laughing remorselessly at him and it grabbed his robotic wrist, staring at it in amusement.

" _You didn't seriously believe you could ever escape the empire's control, did you?_ "

He hated it so fucking bad but he could feel tears burning at his tear ducts.

" _How pathetic._ "

He wanted it off. This piece of metal was like a parasite clinging to him, a reminder of his failures and his weaknesses and everything he despised. It was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be on him. It was fake and despicable and disgusting and he wanted it _off._

Just then, like a saving grace, a swell of Chaos energy approached out of nowhere and with it came Shadow, shoving Metal off of him. The robot toppled uselessly over the edge of the bridge and Sonic could breathe again, just a little. Shadow hovered over him, wary and almost nervous, like he wasn't exactly sure how to handle this.

Sonic clawed at his shoulder, where metal met flesh. "Get it off. Do _something._ "

Shadow wavered for a second before bringing his foot up and smashing the arm with a definitive stomp. Electricity ricocheted up the blue blur's arm and he whimpered against the screams that crawled up his throat, barely stifling them. The last thing he needed was Shadow's guilt. He could stand a little pain if it meant destroying the arm attached to his side that had a mind of its fucking own.

Regardless, the agent knit his brows together. "Are you-?"

"It's _fine,_ " he gritted out. "I don't know how—just stop Metal."

And speak of the devil. The badnik came bursting right for the two with a horrific speed, its engine flaring to life as flames roared from its back like the tail of a comet. Shadow lunged away and Sonic rolled to the side but Metal was too fast. It hooked barbed fingers around Sonic's waist and swung him around, throwing him full-force right into the window of one of the skyscrapers huddled against the bridge.

Glass splintered every which way, a sudden explosion of crystals that glimmered in the sunlight. Fragments of window scraped against Sonic's skin and pain arched up his back and he gasped, helplessly, before he flew across the room and collided against the wall on the other side. He slipped into unconsciousness before he could even take another breath.

From outside, Shadow froze up, regaining his breath and quivering as Metal simply hovered right before the broken window, gazing through it disdainfully. _Fuck._

But Metal was distracted. Shaking off his nerves, Shadow skated closer to the badnik, before Rouge converged with his path and wordlessly grabbed his outstretched hand, throwing him directly to the floating machine. Shadow collided into Metal, and they both were thrown into the room as well.

The agent groaned as metal digits fumbled for him, and he tried to behead the damn thing or dismantle it or just do _something,_ because this was going very south, very fast. Rouge surged in through the window and Metal's engine began to light up again. Shadow took that as his cue to push himself off of it, just in time for another laser to shoot from the robot's chest and pierce right through the ceiling.

Rouge tried to start towards the badnik as it lay, frozen, yet again, but the structural integrity of the building was not exactly sound, seeing as it was still part of a construction site, so the ceiling collapsed easily to the pressure of Metal's laser. Chunks of concrete began to crumble from above, and one large piece slammed directly into the bat, throwing her into the ground and effectively crushing her wing and leg.

As she cried out in pain something cold and tight welled up in Shadow's chest. _Fuck. Not Rouge too._

He made a mad dash for Metal because he was so fucking close, he needed to end this and get the stupid fucking Chaos Emerald—but the badnik was two steps ahead of him and it cut off its laser as it rolled forwards, knocking Shadow off his feet.

Metal landed a hard, agonizing punch in Shadow's face and for a moment he thought he was seeing stars. Coughing up something wet and metallic and warm, he could only feel his brain stall as the robot scraped him off the ground like he was some useless piece of garbage and catch him in a taut chokehold.

It dragged him closer to the window and Shadow's feet could only skid against the ground until he didn't feel the ground anymore and he was just dangling. A chilling breeze rustled his quills and out of the corners of his vision he could see that he wasn't in the empty concrete room anymore, he was being dangled above the seemingly bottomless pit that was Capital City.

His attempts to suck in oxygen were futile, as were his fingers that worked to try and pry away the metal fingers wrapped around his throat. Metal simply watched him, impassively, like a butcher deciding how he wanted to chop up a hunk of long dead meat.

" _You all are so pathetic,_ " Metal hissed. " _Infinite will probably be disappointed to hear how easily I destroyed you all._ "

All Shadow could do was choke and kick and grit his teeth. An unfathomable fury was pouring through his veins as though it were a flood, drowning him entirely.

And, in that moment, Shadow was fully prepared to be dropped to his death and swallowed by the dark, bottomless pit far below, but then—but then Metal just… _stopped._

It twitched, sort of, its gaze falling to stare ahead blankly. It convulsed violently and Shadow could feel its grip loosening on his neck. Which was good, but also very, very bad, because he was still being dangled over the edge of the skyscraper. Metal shuddered, malfunctioning, stuttering endlessly over its words.

" _N-N-No… Y-You—_ "

Metal collapsed.

Shadow fell, and shut his eyes as visions flittered through his mind of blonde hair and bright, marvelous blue eyes. At least he'd get to see her again.

And then _Shadow_ stopped. He just stopped falling, altogether. When he opened his eyes there was a hand, and it was shaking uncontrollably, but its grip was firm on his own, nonetheless. There was a soft, almost delirious laughter from above, and a face peered over the edge with honey eyes and a weary smile.

Espio. Espio saved him. Shadow couldn't help but laugh a bit deliriously, too.

The chameleon groaned and his grip loosened just slightly. It was enough to make Shadow's breath hitch.

"Ngh, c'mon, help me out here."

After a few minutes of struggling Shadow was back on solid ground again, gasping for air and staring in awe at the carcass of Metal Sonic. Espio's chest was painted red, and he simply leaned back against the wall, staring at the robot as well.

There was a single kunai wedged deep into its back. Right in the center of its engine. Oil oozed out of it like black blood.

Shadow ran a hand over his face and glanced around. Rouge and Sonic were both unconscious, the former still half-buried beneath debris and the latter slumped against the back wall, but—but they were _breathing._ That was all that mattered to him.

"Thank you," Shadow murmured. "He was gonna kill me."

Espio huffed and kicked Metal's lifeless body feebly, just for good measure. "It nearly killed me too."

With a grimace, the agent leaned forwards and, with the assistance of a stray shard of glass, pried open the back of Metal's skull. Tucked carefully inside and hooked up to various wires and electrodes was a bright magenta emerald. Shadow extracted it like it was a bomb about to explode, before laying back against the wall and cradling it close to his chest, smiling hazily as its warmth spread into his fingertips. He begrudgingly opened his eyes to look at Espio, who was nearly unconscious already.

"Come on," Shadow said. "Let's go home."

* * *

 **aaah everyone survived & got the emerald! but yikes it looks like sonic's new arm is a bit more problematic than he thought. aand gadget is trying to muster the courage to talk w tails :)**

 **(also i feel the need to clarify: antoine speaks kinda strangely on purpose. he canonically has a thick french accent so that's just me emulating that, i promise i don't suck at dialogue kjdkgjdf)**

 **remember to drop a review, it really boosts my motivation to hear feedback!**


	12. cataclysm

**yeah uh. not even gonna sugarcoat it. this one's rough.**

 **buckle up for some hardcore angst, folks!**

* * *

 **XII.**

 _cataclysm (ˈkadəˌklizəm)_

 _[noun]_

 _a sudden, violent upheaval._

* * *

Shadow was antsy; nobody could really blame him. He just felt… stuck.

Three of their strongest fighters were down for the count—they had been, for the past few days. Sonic landed himself a minor concussion, Rouge had a broken wing and a sprained ankle, and Espio… he lost quite a bit of blood. None of them had yet to stir, sans the five or so minutes of the chameleon waking up in a delirium and calling vaguely for Vector, before he promptly passed out again. But they'd all be fine, according to Vanilla. They just needed bed rest.

In the meantime, Shadow was stuck waiting around. Knuckles and Amy were too preoccupied with the Master Emerald, itself, and all the others were either constantly on guard duty or trying to uphold communications with any other straggling rebels out in the world. Nobody trusted Shadow to go out alone again and search for more emeralds—not after last time, when he'd gotten captured.

And it was driving him up the wall. All he could focus on was the disaster of that mission. They all nearly died. And Sonic _—his arm._ Somehow Metal was able to hijack it. They definitely needed to figure out a way to deal with that. Maybe they could amputate it off?

But they were also running low on anesthetics, and that would definitely be very painful. Shadow still couldn't get that twisted, agonizing look on Sonic's face out of his head, when he told him to break it. And what good did that really do, anyways? Now the damned arm was just semi-functional and writhing in pain, dangling uselessly off Sonic like a parasite. They didn't even know if Eggman could still control it or not.

He took a measured sip from his watered-down, lukewarm-at-best coffee and slunk further down in his seat. He bounced his leg till his ankle ached. He stared so hard at the wall that his head began to pound.

"Shadow."

Blinking from his thoughts, he looked to the entrance of the kitchen. It was Silver, with a reserved, but still wild and excited, grin on his face. Shadow's heart leapt at the sight because surely, _surely,_ that meant good news.

"How's the Master Emerald?" he asked, instantly. When Silver faltered slightly, the agent promptly followed up with, "Are the others awake?"

Silver shook his head. "Still crumbling to pieces and still unconscious." He took a heavy pause, trying to recover from the look of deflation that had swept over his features. "Uh, this isn't about that, though. Not entirely, anyways."

Before Shadow could ask any other questions though, the psychic was already rushing out the doorway and beckoning for him to follow. With a tired huff, he did.

They entered the primary computer room, filled wall to wall with screens and other miscellaneous technology. Other rebels were busy with their own tasks, bustling around and working at computers. The room was entirely illuminated by the white light of the various screens, and it felt almost claustrophobic in there from it all. Vector stood at the main console, wearing a lopsided smirk.

Shadow looked at the pair expectantly.

"Alright, so." Silver cleared his throat. "Take this with a tiny grain of salt, but we've been coordinating with smaller groups across the continent for the past few hours, and we heard a rumor about an emerald tracker being made somewhere in the southeast."

The ivory hedgehog beamed at him, and Vector did his best to hide his smugness behind a modest, dignified gaze.

"So you've brought me here to tell me about a rumor," Shadow said, slow and skeptical. "Of a _potential_ object that could _potentially_ help us, hundreds of miles south of Angel Island."

Vector chuckled, though he looked tense. "Well, when you put it like that—"

"No, this could actually be really beneficial," Silver insisted. "Look, we've got no other leads on finding the rest of the emeralds. Plus, the fact that there is a supposed emerald tracker being made somewhere that's gotten so much traction that there are _rumors_ about it, means this must be big. Whoever's doing this could be a real asset to the team, I think. I mean, they clearly know their stuff."

Shadow raked his fingers through his mussed up quills. "Fine. Where are these people, then?"

It was Silver's turn to look uneasy. "That's our only issue. We don't know exact locations, but they're pretty far away. Which is where you come in! You're way more experienced with the Chaos Emeralds than I could ever hope to be, so we thought you'd be able to teleport us there."

"Do you have general coordinates, at least?"

An eager nod.

"Have you stopped to consider that this could be a trap?"

Vector shook his head. "Nah, we got the details from that group over in Metal City. They're cool, trust me. They hooked us up with some scrap parts, once."

With a long, drawn breath, Shadow relented. "Alright. We leave tomorrow at dawn."

* * *

Gadget was hasty in finishing his supper. He took the time to find some amiable conversation with Sally and Guntiver, because he was never one to be rude, but he only half paid attention to their rambling and small talk.

He was on a mission, tonight. He'd procrastinated long enough, but he swore to himself that he'd talk to Mi—uh, _Tails,_ now. And now seemed as good of a time as any. A few days had passed and he and the kid were finally settling into Knothole's community. Of course, Gadget hardly saw him lately now that he was constantly down in the workshop with Mighty working on the emerald tracker. But he'd finished up his chores for the day and all that was left to do was lounge around. Guntiver was already collecting the dishes and Sally was heading back to her quarters; Bunnie had taken Ray out into the woods to gather some extra firewood.

Swallowing the hard knot in his throat, the wolf made a beeline towards the workshop, feeling sweat muster in his palms beneath his gloves. He shouldn't have been this worried, right? Surely the kid would understand.

He knocked tentatively at the door, and there was only a brief pause before Mighty hollered from the other side, "It's open!"

Gadget's stomach did a flip, and he opened the door before he could convince himself to change his mind again.

Mighty and Tails were covered in sweat and soot, hunched over a table as they fiddled with a small contraption on it. It took them a moment before they stopped their work to look up at the newcomer. The former waved with a broad smile, while the latter gave a timid nod.

His words caught in his throat for a moment, but somehow Gadget managed out, "Uh. C-Can I talk to… Tails, for a minute? Sorry."

The fox and armadillo exchanged a glance, before Mighty shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

An extremely uncomfortable pause passed over them. The rising tension in the building was already palpable and Gadget thought he'd choke on it.

Mighty wavered and cleared his throat. "Ah. I'll give you guys some privacy." He picked up all the bits of metal strewn across the counter with practiced ease, as if it all weighed no more than a feather to him, and carried them into a small side-room. The door clicked softly shut and just like that, they were alone.

Tails sighed and pulled off his goggles, leaning casually against the counter. Gadget could see the tension in his shoulders, despite it. "Everything okay?"

Gadget bit his lip and huffed out a tired, breathy thing that barely passed as a laugh. "Um. I don't even really—know where to start. I just feel like there's a lot of…" He gestured awkwardly. "Unresolved stuff going on between us."

Tails screwed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry I lied. About my name, I mean."

And—And that was it? Just like that? Gadget decided maybe it was best to hold his tongue for the time being.

"Look, I just…" When the kit opened his eyes again they looked heavy and sad and watery. "You've probably put two and two together. Sonic was my best friend, my brother, and—and when he died I couldn't take it. My real name is Miles, but he nicknamed me Tails all those years ago when we first met. And I've just been… I dunno, carrying around this guilt for months now. I felt ashamed to keep using that name, so when I met you, I just—panicked."

A smile pulled at Gadget's lips. "Don't worry about it. I forgive you."

Tails returned a melancholy smile, and rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze flickered over to the room Mighty had left to. "Cool. Uh. Did you wanna talk about something else, too?"

 _Right. That._

"Yeah, actually." The wolf scuffed the toe of his boot idly against the wooden floor, refusing to meet Tails' eyes. "I just need to get this off my chest, 'cause it's been kinda driving me insane, and I don't really—know who else to talk to about it."

Gadget could feel his heartbeat thudding in his ears.

"It's about Infinite. I think I—I think I knew him, before the war. He, um… We dated. We were dating for months, and then he just—disappeared all of the sudden, and then Eggman took over, and then you and I ran into Infinite the other day and I just… _knew._ I _know_ it's him. He's just—something happened to him, and I don't think he remembers me. That red thing in his chest…"

He made the mistake of daring to look at Tails. The kid's entire demeanor was different. He was stiff and his eyes were red-rimmed and he looked unnervingly blank.

"… What are you saying?"

Something hot and anxious tugged at Gadget and willed him to continue. "I wanna help him. I think—I just think something happened to him. Maybe Eggman brainwashed him, I don't know. But he's—he's _Zero._ He'd never do something like this. I have to save him, Tails."

He was met with cold, steely blue eyes. "He's a murderer."

A pang struck Gadget's chest. "I-I—I know, and that's irredeemable. But I can't just sit around, knowing he's out there being used like a puppet, killing more innocent people. I _know_ that's not him. He didn't even _recognize_ me, and I wasn't the one wearing a mask!"

"Then maybe you got the wrong guy." Tails sounded bitter.

"No, it's him," Gadget said. Pleaded. "I know without a shadow of a doubt. It was his voice, and his hair, and his _eyes—_ "

"Gadget." The wolf physically jerked at the sound of his name. Something seething hot churned beneath Tails' gaze. "I'm gonna be honest, here. I don't care if you think he was the most precious, virtuous man on the planet before. Infinite is a sadistic, ruthless tyrant that has nearly destroyed the entire fucking planet. And I will not rest until he is _dead._ "

Something cold and hard settled in the pit of Gadget's stomach. "Tails, please, you gotta hear me out—"

" _He killed him._ "

Ice crawled down his spine. "… What?"

Tears spewed from Tails' tear ducts. "He killed Sonic. And all I could do was just sit there and watch and cry like a fucking baby. So, no, I _don't_ care how innocent you may think Infinite still is because you're _delusional,_ Gadget. I watched him murder Sonic without a single goddamn ounce of mercy. He's not whatever you think he is."

Suddenly Gadget was shaking, hard and uncontrollably. He hesitantly stepped forward. Attempted to rest a placating hand on the teen's shoulder. "Tails, I didn't know, I swear. I'm so—"

Tails shoved him away and he could only stumble backwards and balk. "Shut _up!_ You aren't my brother, so stop _acting like it!_ "

Gadget felt paralyzed.

"My brother is already gone." The fox looked as though he were about to crumble to his knees.

Quelling any fresh tears that threatened to breach the surface, Gadget held out a trembling hand. Chaos, he fucked up. He had to fix this. He had to fix this because everything seemed to be falling apart and he couldn't lose Tails too, _not over this—_

A sudden, ravenous, intoxicating heat seemed to engulf the entire workshop, and their words caught in their throats as they turned to look out the window, slow and horrified. Because that heat, that energy, felt so familiar. Just as twisted and wrong as it had last time.

Outside the window everything was swallowed in a vivid, disgusting _red._

The workshop exploded before either of them could move.

* * *

"What do you think will happen when she breaks?"

Amy blinked from her dozing trance and lifted her head from Knuckles' shoulder to look him in the eye.

She made a tired, grumbled noise in the back of her throat akin to a questioning hum. "Don't say that, silly, it'll be fine. We're gonna get all the Chaos Emeralds before that happens."

Knuckles stared at her, intense and nearly scared, before he broke the eye contact to look at the Master Emerald. In the dark, stuffy chamber, he'd have thought that the gem would have lit up the entire room. But instead its light seemed muted, and its once vibrant green hues seemed gray. The spider web of fissures running along its surface seethed a lethal red that was only amplified in the clusters of ruby crystal.

The Master Emerald was dying. And he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Running a mitt along his face, Knuckles let his gaze fall. "I'm not too sure about that anymore."

Amy pursed her lips. "That's just quitter talk!"

"I just feel like..." He sighed. "I feel like I've failed as a guardian."

She frowned at him. Knuckles gazed emptily at his lap, his eyes sunken with exhaustion and resignation. It made something sad twinge at her heartstrings. Where was her favorite, headstrong, boisterous echidna? The one that gave her giant bear hugs that could kill a man, the one who laughed so loud it felt like it shook the ground beneath her feet? She hated that all of that had be drowned out by this melancholy, drained husk of himself.

Amy hated that she couldn't just… make all the pain and despair go away. But—maybe she could try to alleviate the pressure, just a little bit.

Carefully, she took his hands in her own, squeezing tight and staring firmly into his eyes. "Knuckles, you are anything but a failure. You've been fighting nonstop to save the world, and I—I know things seem bleak now, but I'd say you've been doing a pretty good damn job."

"It's just—this is what I'm supposed to _do,_ " he bemoaned, and Chaos, he was practically made of steel, but Amy caught the glimmer of moisture in his gaze regardless. "My whole life, all I've done is protect the Master Emerald. But now it's falling apart right before me and all I can do is just. Sit here and watch." His lip quivered and he was shaking slightly and he just looked so _—tired._ "I hate it. I hate it so fucking much. I'd do anything just to stop all of this from happening."

Without thought the hedgehog carded easy, gentle fingers through his dreadlocks. Knuckles flinched minutely at the touch, but didn't object. Just leaned into it and let his eyes flutter shut.

"I know," she murmured. "I hate it too. And sometimes _I_ feel like all this is just… pointless. Like we're only postponing the inevitable. But we have to try, don't we? That's what we do. We fight and fight till we can save the world again. Because nobody else will."

Knuckles exhaled slowly. His tremors ceased. "… Sorry, I'm just—"

"Don't apologize," Amy said. There was no room for argument. The echidna hesitantly opened his eyes to look at her again. "It's okay to be stressed, Knuckles. It's okay to be scared. It doesn't make you any less brave or strong than I know you are."

There was a heavy pause where he seemed resistant, before he finally relented and smiled, giving a small nod. He shifted to face the Master Emerald again. They continued to hold hands.

And—And maybe it was stupid, but the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't settle down and heat was rising in her face so she just—she caved. Gingerly, tentatively, Amy pressed a kiss to his cheek. She could feel him bristle instantly, and when she pulled away his muzzle was nearly as red as his fur, but there was this… stupid grin on his face, that made her stomach do a back flip.

He made to speak but she was already standing up. "Just—keep at it, okay? I know you can do it. If anybody can fix the emerald it's you. I-I'm gonna go get a glass of water."

Knuckles stood up suddenly. "Amy, wait."

She abided, and blinked expectantly at him. He licked his lips and placed a firm mitt on her shoulder, lowering his voice.

"Look," he started, and he looked a little sad again. "If I… can't fix this—"

" _Knuckles._ "

"—No, really, I need you to listen to me." He sucked in a tight breath. "If I fail, there won't be anyone else to take over after me. I'm the last echidna around. And after all the training we've been doing… I want you to be my successor, Amy. I trust you more than anybody to protect the emeralds and this island."

 _… Oh._

Amy backed away, rubbing her temples. "I—uh. Okay. That's—a lot to process. I mean, I…? I have a life, I can't just abandon everything to—"

"I know, I know, it's a lot to ask of you. And I'm only twenty-two," he grinned feebly. "I'd like to hope I'll still be guardian for a long, long time. It's just—something to consider. I trust you more than anyone in the world with this stuff, Ames. And… if the time _does_ come, I hope you'll know what to do."

She huffed with a vague smile on her lips. "Okay. Thank you for trusting me."

Knuckles looked at her fondly for a moment, before pulling her into the strongest hug she'd probably ever experienced. Amy giggled into his shoulder and he nuzzled against her neck.

"Of course, Rose."

* * *

Bunnie and Ray had only just gotten back from gathering some firewood when—well, when shit hit the fan, to be frank. The sun had set long ago, leaving them shrouded by the darkness of the night and foliage, and all had seemed serene. A typical night at Knothole.

And then there was an explosion and the darkness was suddenly breached by a burst of red light, straight up ahead.

Immediately, something cold and nauseating sliced Bunnie into two and without thinking, she dropped all the supplies they'd gathered, grabbed Ray's hand, and ran. What they found was Knothole, being consumed by an inferno as its walls crumbled down.

When they approached the front gate they were met with Sally and Guntiver. The former was half-carrying the latter, whose face was black with soot as she wheezed and coughed. He settled her on the ground and nearly turned to head back inside when his eyes landed on Bunnie and Ray.

"What the hell happened?" she exclaimed, kneeling down to squeeze Sally's shoulder in comfort. Ray was frozen in shock, barely seeming to comprehend the voracious, violent talons of the flames that raced into the air and across the village.

Guntiver wiped sweat from his forehead. "We—We don't really know. There was some explosion and—fuck, there's no time, the others are still inside. We've gotta help 'em!"

Sally rubbed her throat and rasped, "I-Infinite. It's him. I don't know what—"

"Hey, easy, don't talk," Guntiver said, as she broke into another coughing fit. "You took in a lot of smoke back there."

Bunnie's blood ran cold. _Infinite._ The guy that took over the entire planet in the span of a few weeks was here, in Knothole, about to murder everyone.

She turned to Ray. "O-Okay. Listen to me, hon. You're gonna go run and find Tails and Gadget's plane that's out on the beach, alright? And I need you to hide underneath it and stay put till someone comes to find you. Don't make a single sound."

Ray didn't seem to process her words, though. Just stared at Guntiver with a blank, hardened gaze. "W-W-Where's Mighty?"

The coyote frowned, looking frantically over his shoulder through the gates. "I dunno, kiddo. He was in the workshop, I think. But we'll save him, you don't need to worry, just—"

Without warning the squirrel suddenly burst forward, weaving right past all of the adults and into smoldering village. Bunnie swore under her breath and started after him, but as soon as she got through the gates he was out of sight.

"Fuck."

Guntiver quickly caught up to the cyborg, as she scanned the devastated town with a dawning look of horror on her face. He opened his mouth to say something, but then—then there was a resounded groan of wood and one of the houses collapsed in. Her house. Which Antoine was supposedly still inside of.

Bunnie nearly wanted to throw up. "Shit! _Antoine!_ "

She discarded her worries for Ray for the moment and took off towards the crumbling building, Guntiver hot on her tail.

Looking back, to say shit had hit the fan was probably an understatement.

* * *

The first thing that registered in Tails' mind was heat, scalding and harsh, against his limp form. The second was the pain that started to trickle back in as his nerves woke up, something sharp digging into his right hip and drawing thick, hot blood. His mind stalled for a few minutes as he tried to move, but his muscles screamed at him to stay put as soon as he tried it.

Where—? _What—_

The third thing to register in Tails' mind was terror.

" _Gadget!_ "

His eyes snapped open and he struggled to suck in a breath as he absorbed the scene around him. The workshop—it was in ruins, nothing more than heaps of rubble and debris, coated in vicious, snapping flames. The very walls of the building could hardly be considered to be still standing.

And—And _Gadget._ He was also just coming to, it seemed, a few feet away with blood dribbling down from his temple. His gaze was half-lidded as he seemed to slowly take in his surroundings. He looked like he'd pass out at any given second.

Managing to sit up, Tails casted a wary glance over his shoulder, to where the side-room of the workshop used to be. In its place was a mountain of crumbling concrete and a barely conscious Mighty, who had a massive chunk of wall pinning him to the ground.

Then, as if on cue, a voice cut though the deafening silence, more malicious than the flames that licked at the night sky or the film of red energy coating every feasible surface.

"You can't hide forever, rodents. I know you're here."

Tails forgot how to breathe.

Frantically, he scrambled for a table just behind him, turned on its side, and curled up behind it for cover. If anything so far had proved helpful in these situations, it was the element of surprise. He wanted to whisper to Gadget to hide, too, but the wolf was already trying to scramble onto his feet, clearly fixated by the newcomer.

 _Fuck._ Memories of their argument just prior to—to whatever the hell this was—came back to the teenager like the shocking pain of biting his tongue.

Tails peaked around the corner of his cover just enough to see Infinite glide over to the destroyed workshop in a bubble of garnet light, that convulsed and writhed unsettlingly around his lithe form. If he didn't know any better, he'd say it was trying to devour the tyrant whole.

"Zero," ghosted from Gadget's lips. He cautiously took a step forward, his fingers clearly itching to reach for the Wispon he currently didn't have on him. Tails' thoughts went into overdrive, an absolute cacophony of cowardice and bravery that grated against each other like out of tune guitar strings. He clutched his temples and curled further into himself.

What was he supposed to _do?_ Gadget was walking right into a deathtrap and this time there was nowhere to run, no guns on hand or Wispons at the ready. They were fucked, and if Tails revealed himself now to try and coerce Gadget into backing away, then neither of them stood a chance.

 _But what could he do now?_

Infinite regarded the wolf with a scrutinizing gaze from his sickly yellow iris. "Ah, should've known you'd be here."

"You—Do you recognize me?" Gadget's voice trembled as he spoke.

The jackal wavered, then scoffed. "The mutt from the junkyard?"

And _—Chaos,_ Gadget looked so broken at that. Tails was mad at him, yes, for ever trying to defend that murderer, but he couldn't deny the way his heart sank when Gadget nearly recoiled, as if Infinite's very words were venomous. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve to be in love with someone so—so horrible, so cold as Infinite. He didn't deserve to deal with that pain.

"We—" Gadget swallowed thickly. "We knew each other, before. Remember? M-My name's Gadget, and you were Zero. _Are_ Zero."

The masked fiend landed hard on the ground, his entire body visibly brimming with rage, as he strode forward and conjured a red, translucent sword from the ruby in his chest and held it to Gadget's chin. He whimpered as the sharp edge drew a thin seam of blood on his neck.

"Do you know who you're talking to?!" the jackal roared, and the wolf shrunk just a little under his withering gaze. "I am _Infinite._ Don't ever call me anything else but that. My power is _limitless._ I could destroy you without expending a single ounce of energy, if I wanted."

The carmine male trembled. "… L-Look, I know you're confused and upset. You must've gotten your memories wiped, or something. But I _know_ you, Zero! You would never do this! You just gotta—snap out of it, or—"

Gadget tried fruitlessly to extend out a hand, and it proved fatal. Tails had to cover his mouth to suppress a yelp from escaping him, as Infinite sent a powerful wave of red energy into Gadget's chest, and the wolf was sent flying through the air before colliding into hard concrete and falling still.

 _Fuck—you—you idiot._

Okay, okay, shit, he had to be okay, he _had_ to, because he was Gadget. He was the luckiest bastard alive and he'd cheated death probably more times than he should have. Tails hugged himself harder to try and push through the nerves and shivers racking his body. He tried to quell the tears that pricked at his eyes.

Mighty groaned against the concrete that crushed him. "Ngh… You—fucker…"

"Which one of you created the Chaos Emerald tracker?" Infinite wondered, clearly unbothered by the way he just violently threw Gadget across the barely standing room. He chuckled when Mighty narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't act so surprised. Rumors spread quickly, and I've got eyes everywhere. _So._ " His hands glowed with a bright, sickening red. "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of the person that created it? Or will I just have to kill you in their stead?"

Tails jumped out of his hiding spot without hesitation. "Wait! Don't hurt him, it was me—"

"I should've known it was the coward," he sneered. The red light expanded rapidly and Tails braced himself, but—

"H-Hey!"

All three froze and turned to the source of the voice.

Ray—fucking _Ray_ —stood not far behind Infinite, shaking slightly but bearing an expression of fury and strength, despite his tiny frame. "Leave my friends alone!"

Tails felt sick. He broke into a run to try and reach the kid but Infinite was clearly anticipating it. The fox collided with a sudden wall of red and was thrown backwards into the table he'd been hiding behind.

Mighty stirred more beneath the slab of concrete. "H-Hey, no—don't _touch_ him, asshole! Ray, get—agh, _get out of here!_ "

"Children are so peculiar," Infinite mused to himself. He clenched his fist and suddenly there was a coil of crimson energy wrapping around Ray's throat and lifting him into the air. He struggled to suck in a gasp, kicking uselessly as tears brimmed in his wide, innocent blue eyes. "So… impressionable, wouldn't you say?"

As Tails struggled to regain his bearings, splinters of wood strewn around him from the table he'd landed on, Mighty groaned from where he lay. "Let him _go_ you—bastard!"

Infinite cocked his head curiously at Ray, who at this point had tears streaming down his face as he clawed at his throat in vain. His fingers just phased right through the red noose. "Too emotional, though. It's a shame. I'd love to perhaps raise a new generation one day, one that isn't plagued by such a troublesome thing as that."

Ray looked to Mighty in mortification.

"I'm afraid this one is simply useless. Already so… dissuaded with your foolish needs for feeling and weakness. And that just cannot do."

With a disdainful look, Infinite bobbed his head slightly to the side to command the tendril of red, and with the motion, there was a loud, painful snap. Of—Of _bone._

Ray's eyes became glazed and suddenly he wasn't struggling anymore.

Tails clamped a hand to his mouth and sobbed.

Fuck. _Fuck fuck fuck—_ "Mighty," he moaned out, pathetically, as he turned to look at the armadillo. Infinite unclenched his fist and Ray fell to the ground, lifeless. "Mighty, listen, don't—"

Except Mighty wasn't there, anymore. He _was,_ but—but his expression was completely blank, and he was shaking so hard it made Tails want to cry. Mighty stared ahead, unthinking for a moment, staring at the motionless child, _his own little brother,_ collapsed on the ground as blood dripped down his chin, and _screamed._ He screamed till his vocal chords wouldn't work anymore and he screamed so hard that his strength returned, full force, and he launched the massive piece of cement pinning him down directly at Infinite.

The jackal pushed it out of the way with a mere swipe of the hand, simply standing there and watching. Mighty charged directly for him, and for a moment Tails thought he'd actually get him, but then Infinite warped behind the armadillo and tapped his head and Tails knew they were fucking goners.

* * *

Mighty didn't— _he didn't—_ he was gonna _kill_ him, make him beg for mercy and cry until he ran out of tears to cry. He was gonna _strangle_ him, snap his neck even _harder,_ so hard his head would fucking fall off his shoulders. He— _he'd—_

Infinite disappeared in a flash of red and something light tapped the back of his head and suddenly the world shifted. A wave of red rolled over everything in sight and it was like Mighty had been plunged underwater, everything now muted and distorted. He skidded to a halt and whipped around, but suddenly he was alone, so alone, and nobody was here to help him.

There was a strange grating noise from behind him, and when he turned again he saw a gigantic ball of transparent red bowling directly towards him, coated in lethal spikes. Mighty lunged out of the way only to land in the path of another spiky ball. He curled into his shell and bounced off of it into one of the crumbling, nearby houses.

Glass rained down as he fell through the window, slicing into his bare skin. He hissed through the stinging pain and clambered onto his feet, ready to run back outside, when—

A child giggled from behind him.

Mighty felt something cold settle in the pit of his stomach. "… Ray?"

Ray stood there, his quiet laughter bouncing discordantly against the walls of Mighty's head, flickers of red fizzling around his body like he was some glitch that wasn't supposed to exist. Because he—he _wasn't,_ Mighty just watched him fucking _die—_

"So pathetic," Ray snarled, a sick smile on his face. When he lifted his head up to meet his brother's eyes, Mighty nearly threw up. His neck was still twisted, _broken,_ and—and fuck, he shouldn't be alive, _why was this happening—_ and his… His eyes were just so _empty._ "You just sat there and watched me die. And all for nothing. You have super strength, don't you? Why didn't you do anything?"

His eyes felt misty. "N-No, Ray, listen. I tried, I just—I couldn't—"

"You think you can be a _real_ hero?" Ray laughed, jeeringly. "You can't do anything right. You let me die, because you were too scared to do anything about it."

"… No."

Ray stepped closer, jabbing an accusatory finger into Mighty's chest and startling him enough to recoil back. "All you've ever dreamt of is being a hero like that blue hedgehog or idiot fox. But you will _never_ be like them. You're just a useless nobody. You just hide from danger and hope someone will solve all your problems for you, don't you?"

"Shut up."

Blue eyes briefly glimmered red. "You let me _die!_ You failed! Don't you _get_ that?!"

Scalding anger surged through Mighty and he grabbed Ray by the scruff of his neck, slamming him against the wall. "I said shut _up!_ " His vision went red and he shook so hard it hurt and all he could find himself doing was punch Ray, over and over until his face was too mangled to recognize. He cried uncontrollably. " _Shut up shut up shut UP—!_ "

His vision swam and he fell into darkness.

* * *

"Why?"

Infinite turned to the last one standing. Tails. The foolish child that was too weak to stop him when he captured Sonic, all those months ago. The boy genius that was never smart enough to stop him from taking over the world.

He decided to indulge him, anyways, watching him intently. The boy shifted from where he lay, amongst the rubble.

"Why do you do this?" he asked, his voice shaky and dead. "You just—you kill and you hurt and you destroy. What do you gain from this? _Why?_ "

Infinite didn't speak. The Phantom Ruby burned against his chest, hot and passionate. It whispered to him, _it's for the greater good._

The communicator in his ear fizzled to life suddenly, and the jackal paused to listen. It was Eggman.

 _"Infinite, I'm picking up readings of some very unstable Chaos energy further north of your current position. I know you're… preoccupied, but this is urgent. I'm ordering you to go investigate. I've already sent you the coordinates."_

And that—that grated on his nerves, because when Eggman first brought him to life with the Ruby, he'd been told that this would be an equal partnership. That they would rule the world together, side by side, and yet—and yet Infinite was just his little pet, doing all of his dirty work. When were they going to play by _his_ rules? Stop being so careful and timid and start putting in some fucking elbow grease to finally wipe out the last remnants of resistance across the planet?

 _Soon he'll see,_ the Ruby purred. _All in due time._

Grating his teeth, he replied with a terse, "Copy."

He turned to leave.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!"

Ah. The child.

"Answer me!"

 _You could kill him,_ the ruby murmured to him. _He's just a useless child, no better than the squirrel. A mere blemish in our plans._

Infinite considered this, stared at Tails apathetically while his teal eyes burned bright with such an untamed fury, despair, _brokenness,_ and he clicked his tongue. To put it simply, the boy wasn't worth his time.

Besides, he'd done what he came to do: scare this place out of ever trying to gain any sort of advantage over the empire.

"I've got important business to attend to. I've already accomplished my goal, here."

With that, he turned on his heel as the Phantom Ruby warped him away. The last thing he heard was the miserable sobbing of the boy left alone, behind him, to rot in the wreckage.

* * *

 **soooooooooo. uh. please don't hurt me :,) i promise it gets better. eventually,,**

 **shadow & the gang are searching for this supposed emerald tracker, more knuxamy fluff bc they deserve happiness, and. infinite's a dick.**

 **remember to drop a review!**


	13. phantoms

**ayy im back. sorry this one's on the shorter side :/ i made sure to pack it full of angst just for u guys hehe**

* * *

 **XIII.**

 _phantoms (fan(t)əms)_

 _[noun]_

 _something elusive of continual dread or abhorrence._

* * *

When Tails woke up his head was pounding.

It took him a good while to find the strength to peel open his eyes. And when he did, he hissed at the light from above that overwhelmed all of his senses and burned into his corneas, sending a reverberating wave of fatigue and sickness over his limp form. Tingles and pinpricks crawled along his skin and weighed him down, making him feel so heavy that he could barely move at all. There was a voice in the back of his head that teased him with the idea of sleep and calm, and _Chaos,_ he wanted it so bad. His eyes fluttered shut again and Tails breathed a calming sigh.

And then an image flashed before his eyes and something sharp gutted him open from the inside out, ruthless as it stole the air from his lungs. Memories flickered beneath his eyelids of flames and screams and malicious laughter and _crying—_

Tails sat up abruptly, his eyes burning with fresh tears as he struggled to think straight, his thoughts already a discombobulated disarray of terror and grief.

Vaguely, he picked up on the gentle creak of a door opening to his right. "Hey—Whoa, hey, Tails. Hon, I need ya' to calm down, alright?"

It was— _it—_ Bunnie was here. She knelt down beside him, rubbing nice circles into his back and watching him with an intense mixture of emotions swirling in her gaze. She continued to murmur soothing words as he grappled for oxygen.

"Can you speak? You alright?"

His entire body felt like it was being devoured by the same blaze that had consumed Knothole. It was hard to quell the sobs that scratched at his throat. "What—I—"

Bunnie squeezed his wrist. "Shh. I need ya' to take a deep breath, darlin'."

Tails trembled and he just wanted to cry, but he—he breathed. It was hard to get his body to listen to him, almost like it was fighting against him as he sucked in the dead air. He felt stiff and wrong and horrible all over.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, finally, and his voice sounded so foreign to himself, so soft and brittle.

The rabbit searched his face for a moment before deciding to reply. "Most of 'em are outside right now, helping with repairs."

Salty dewdrops spilled down his cheeks. _Liar._

"G-Gadget? Mighty?"

 _… Ray?_

Bunnie swallowed thickly, continuing to rub circles into his back. "Gadget's doin' fine—he's actually outside, too, helpin' out." She grinned slightly, although to Tails it looked nearly fake. "He's been worried sick about you, ya' know… And, uh. Mighty's restin' in the room over."

His lip quivered and it was hard to get his words out. "… What—What about—"

There was a tight, trembling squeeze at his wrist. Bunnie's eyes suddenly seemed wet and foggy. A heavy, awful pause got caught between them before she settled on, "He's—in a better place. We, um… found the body this morning. Held a p-proper burial."

Tails' ears were ringing. His chest felt so constricted it was like he was crushed by a metal beam again, stuck in the junkyard, watching Sonic choke out his last few breaths of air—

"Sorry you didn't get to see it, darlin'. It—It didn't sit right, just leavin' his… body out, like that. Not at peace."

He nodded robotically but couldn't manage to speak. Instead he wavered for a moment, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Bunnie's eyes widened and she grabbed for him to try and pull him back.

"Whoa, hey, slow down there." She rounded the bed and stopped right in front of him, placing gentle hands on his shoulders. Tails looked at her but he wasn't even—seeing her. Her words bounced emptily around his brain. "Look, I understand it's—a lot, right now. But you still need rest—"

"I need to see Mighty."

Her entire demeanor shifted and her gaze fell. "He… he needs rest too, hon."

Tails gritted his teeth. "Please."

Bunnie stared at him for a while, resistant as she shook her head disapprovingly. But he didn't cave. Just stared at her, pleadingly, wretchedly. _Please._

With a tired sigh she helped him out the door.

* * *

If he didn't know any better, Tails would've thought that Mighty was dead too. _Fuck._ No, no, he couldn't think like that. The very thought spurred a cresting wave of nausea that sent him into another spell of shudders and gasps for air.

Bunnie reluctantly left the room, leaving the two alone. The medical wing felt too claustrophobic, too sterile, as Tails pressed himself against the wall across from the bed. Mighty acted as though he hadn't even noticed them enter, but Tails knew he did.

He was conscious. His eyes were open, if a little weighed down with dark circles, and his breathing was steady. It was the look on his face—blank and destroyed and horrid—that had ever sparked the disgusting notion in Tails' head that he looked… _dead._

Silence reigned over them before Tails finally crumbled first, raking fingers through his messy bangs. Mighty continued to stare emotionlessly at the ceiling.

"Hey."

That seemed to evoke a response. Albeit, an enraged stare muted by the overwhelming look of despair in his eyes. "Just leave, kid."

Tails' heart ached. "… Look, I—I'm just. I'm so sorry—"

"I said go."

Mighty looked absolutely venomous. He sat rigid in his bed as he glowered at Tails; breathed a trembling breath.

And then the tears came.

"He—" the armadillo hugged himself, his eyes wandering frantically around the room like he was still searching for him, still trying to find him and save him. It was hard for Tails to not start crying too. "He was my brother. I _loved_ him. And I just—all I could do was fucking sit there and watch like the broken piece of shit I am as he was just…"

Mighty broke off as he tried to swallow down another sob.

"Can you just… Tell the others to stop—coming in here and telling me they're sorry for my fucking loss? 'Cause I'm tired of it. I don't want your pity. None of you get what I'm going through, alright? I watched that fucking _—monster_ snap my baby brother's neck. I watched the life leave his eyes."

Tails' breath hitched. "Mighty—"

"No, stop," he snapped. He brought his hands to his temples and pressed against them, clawed at them. Like the voices in his head wouldn't shut up. "Just fucking go."

And that was when Tails just _—got it._ Those same exact voices haunted him, too. Told him how weak he was, how it was all his fault, how he was such a coward for never doing anything to save Sonic.

Tails wasn't talking to Mighty. He was looking right in the goddamn mirror.

"Screw you. Do _not_ tell me I don't know what you're going through because I _do,_ I know _exactly_ what you're going through. He killed my brother six months ago and I couldn't do anything to stop it." It was hard to ignore the tears that fell freely down his face. They were hot and wet and angry. "So don't fucking tell me I could never understand. That none of us have ever dealt with losing a loved one. Because I have; we have. And I'm sorry about Ray, I really, truly am, but you are _not_ just gonna sit here and wallow and cut everybody out. You don't _get_ to do that."

What followed was a deafening silence that made Tails hyperaware of how raw and dry his throat felt. As the words had left his mouth, he was left with nothing but an empty cavity cleaved deep into his lungs that whined to be filled with blissful numb again. He _hurt._

Mighty trembled from the bed. He tried to speak but he couldn't seem to find any words to say.

"We're in the middle of a goddamn war, Mighty," Tails said, his voice reduced from fury and despair to a broken, soft echo of himself. "There's no room for grieving. We aren't allowed to do that anymore."

Something aching crawled over him and for the first time in months he felt awake. He felt the burden of all his buried trauma resurfacing, and it felt fresh, now; painful. But at least he was facing it. At least he was choosing to stop hiding from it all. He wasn't dragging the dead weight of his guilt around anymore. He was taking it in stride.

And when this war was over? Whether he'd survive amongst the carnage or die with the rest? Hopefully by then he'd get the chance to actually atone for his sins.

With that, Tails turned to leave. "Get some rest. I'm gonna go check on the others."

* * *

His dreams were filled with screaming.

Every time he shut his eyes all he saw was green, dead, dried up, and sapped of all the life and vigor it was once filled with. And he saw it become swallowed in a burning hot _red_ that destroyed everything it touched. He felt pain splinter through the green agonizingly, cutting deep into it and filling it with fresh blood.

The red was relentless. It writhed against his skin and bled into an endless darkness that seemed to persist for an eternity. It clawed at him desperately and tried to tear him open, send tendrils of pure malice into his bloodstream and corrupt him along with the green. It grew stronger every second and all that ran through his mind was unadulterated _terror_ because there was nothing he could do about it.

The green fought valiantly. Even as it dwindled away it still resisted, still stood strong to the very end. Built up a wall that the red struggled to break, despite how monstrously overwhelming it had rapidly grown to be. He could feel himself standing right beside that wall, pushing against the red too, even when it chafed against his palms till they were raw and bloody.

Tikal's screams haunted him.

She was in so much pain. The red was ripping her apart, splitting her in half and tearing away any fight left in her system. She was trying to protect the Chaos. And she was going to continue to do so until she was nothing but a rotting corpse that the red would inevitably pry away from its goal.

He wanted so badly to just hold her in his arms, cradle her and whisper to her and make it all go away. She wasn't going to stop. She wasn't going to give up, not ever. Because they couldn't lose the Chaos, not like this. Not when everything hinged on this final stand.

The screams faded, nothing but a distant memory lost to the endless void of boiling hot red. He felt ice flood his veins despite the raging heat that charred his skin.

The wall crumbled and the red crashed down over him like a tidal wave. He was swept away in its current, a useless ragdoll that could never stand a chance against its power. The Chaos screeched as the red finally reached it, spread over it, consumed it ravenously.

And the Chaos didn't _know._ Of course it didn't, because it's Chaos. It wasn't right or wrong, good or bad, green or red. It was simply the core of everything, the churning essence of life just below the surface that kept all hearts beating and the soil beneath their feet shifting.

When the red corrupted Chaos, he felt something inside himself break. He screamed louder than Tikal ever had as the red pulled him further and further away so he'd never get to stop it. The red was determined in its goal. It would succeed in overtaking Chaos. It always would, no matter how much he or Tikal fought.

As his vision was filled with nothing but a bright, seething ruby, Knuckles felt everything slip away.

And Chaos finally broke free from its shackles.

* * *

Tails limped outside, weary and drained and so desperate for any sort of silver lining in all of this, and lingered in the doorway to take in the scene. Knothole looked worse for wear. Most of the buildings were collapsed, either entirely or only somewhat. The dirt roads were filled with debris and fallen trees that blocked the way. Various people scurried about, trying their best to fix what they could.

He couldn't help but feel like it was all for naught.

Infinite did exactly what he'd intended. Destroyed any chance of them rising up to stop him.

He nearly turned around and went back into the recovery center to rest because really, he probably needed it, but—but then something large and green caught his eye, shifting around in the piles of rubble off to the left. A hearty laugh erupted from the figure as a smaller, yellow one twirled above their head.

Tails did a double take.

 _Vector_ was here. Passing jokes between _Charmy._

Rubbing his eyes, Tails glanced over to the right—to see teal light wrap around a massive tree trunk and lift it seamlessly into the air. Beneath it stood an albino hedgehog, his hands glowing with the same light as he maneuvered the tree to the side. _Silver._

He nearly passed out on the spot. How were they— _when did—?_

"Hey, Tails!"

The fox turned to the source of the voice and met eye contact with Sally, who wore a thin smile as she waved to him.

Standing next to her was Shadow.

They stared at each other and something hard lodged in Tails' throat. Shadow looked like he was staring at a ghost—which, to be fair, he probably felt like he was.

Unable to really produce any words, Tails stumbled and tripped over the stray debris until he was on the other side of the road, facing the two adults as apprehension rose in his stomach. Sally looked tired but a little relieved. She didn't seem aware of the weight this moment carried.

"I'm glad to see you on your feet," she said, patting his shoulder. Tails shot her a glance before looking back at Shadow, who only continued to stare back in silence. The chipmunk seemed to catch onto the strange tension rising between them, and faltered. "Oh, um. This is Shadow, by the way. I didn't know—"

Tails felt his knees buckle and he fell into Shadow's arms.

"Holy shit, kid," the hedgehog muttered, as he hugged him harder. "It's been—fuck…"

Sally's smile grew just a bit less fragile and a bit more sincere. "I'm guessing you two already know each other. I'll give you a moment."

After she left, Tails pulled away from the embrace to look into heavy scarlet eyes. "How—what are you doing here?"

"Silver somehow convinced us that we should scout out this area after hearing rumors of an emerald tracker. Thank Chaos he did." Shadow's lips twitched. "We just arrived about an hour ago and decided to help the people here after they told us… about last night."

Something shimmered through Tails' eyes as he tried to process. This was—a lot. A lot that he was not expecting, especially not here, not now, all at once. Too many emotions were swelling up in his gut that he did not feel like managing right now. Chaos, he should've just gone back to bed.

"Tails!" someone exclaimed from behind, and when he looked he saw Silver bolting over, followed shortly by Vector and Charmy. The psychic beamed at him. "Holy crap, man, I can't believe you're here! We thought you'd—" He broke off, suddenly, looking a little melancholy. _We thought you'd died. We thought you'd ran away forever._

Vector slapped him on the back with a chuckle and Charmy buzzed around the whole group, rambling on about anything and everything.

The teenager cleared his throat and smiled warmly at them. "I missed you guys." And he honestly, truly meant it. But—

Gadget showed his face, clearly exhausted and still awake probably solely by anxiety. He always seemed to operate like that. After exchanging a subtle look with Tails, he glanced awkwardly around at the others. "You're up. These, uh. Must be your friends."

Shadow looked him up and down. "Do you live here?"

The wolf's eyes flickered briefly to Tails, clearly uneasy. "… No, I'm new here like him. We both got here only a few days ago after agreeing to help them build the tracker."

Silver nodded and began absently twirling pebbles in the air. "Ah, so you two have known each other for a while? It's good to know you've had company."

"It's been a long six months," Shadow murmured. When Tails looked at him he seemed notably less tense; probably relieved that he hadn't been completely on his own this whole time.

Gadget suddenly seemed uncomfortable as he looked back to the fox. He didn't seem to sure on how to articulate what exactly their relationship was, anymore. It made something sink, just a little, in his chest.

Tails sucked in a breath and turned back to Shadow with a confident, steady look in his eyes. "We met not long ago, out by Westopolis. I'd been hiding out there for a long time before he found me." He nodded, and blue eyes so congested with emotion that they looked as though they'd well up with tears any moment locked back onto Gadget. "I trust him… More than anything."

Gadget shifted and his lips curled into a tiny, private smile.

Shadow seemed to consider this before nodding. There was something off about him. He looked on edge. Placing a hand on Tails' shoulder, he murmured, "I need to talk to you alone." Now Silver and the present Chaotix members seemed uneasy, too. "It's important."

Skeptical, he let the hedgehog lead him off to a secluded area of the ruined village.

"Look," he started, and this was just weird. Since when did Shadow get all nervous like this? "I know it's been a rough couple of months but—"

"Shadow." Tails swallowed thickly, realizing what this was probably about. "I've missed you a lot, really, but I… I don't know if I'm ready to go back, yet. And honestly, Knothole needs me now more than anything."

But then the agent just drew his brows together. "What? That's not what I—"

His wrist communicator abruptly hissed to life, startling both of them. Shadow scowled and fiddled with the thing for a few seconds.

"Hello?" he said, nearly looking frustrated with it.

The communicator continued to squeal and crackle at him, and he almost turned it off to continue the conversation when—

 _"Sh… ow, you—eed hel…"_

Tails' heart leapt into his throat as Shadow's eyes widened and he frantically replied, "Amy? What's happening, are you safe?"

More silence as the communicator struggled to work. _"Need t…_ hurry— _"_

The static cut out and they were left alone with a mortifying silence.

Shadow continued to try and get through, but it was in vain. "Shit. Rose? Can you hear me?" When there was nothing, he cursed to himself and turned swiftly on his heel to start heading back to the group. "I need to go."

" _We_ need to go." Tails was already following suit.

The hedgehog blinked at him. "I thought you wanted to stay and help Knothole."

"That's—" he shook his head. "Not important right now. Our friends need help."

Shadow stared him down for a solid minute, his expression too withdrawn for Tails to decipher. He simply leveled him with an equally defiant glare. Eventually the elder relented. "Alright. But we're leaving now."

The others looked concerned as they rejoined them. Silver frowned and Sally and Guntiver jogged over, clearly seeing the distress on their faces. The chipmunk was the first to speak up. "Everything alright?"

"Our group is in danger," Shadow said, bluntly. "We need to get back."

Vector rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, shit. I'm sorry, miss, but—"

Sally shook her head. "Don't worry about it, you all have done more than enough to help. Take some of my people with you for back up."

Tails crossed his arms. "Sally—"

"It's no problem." Two more approached. Bunnie and Antoine. The former looked at Tails pointedly before nodding to the others. "We gotta look out for each other, right?"

Shadow seemed reluctant. "… Thank you. We appreciate the help."

"It's the least we can do," Sally said, as Shadow withdrew his Chaos Emerald and a glow of energy began to expand around them. "Good luck."

Tails braced himself as their surroundings faded and his senses were flooded with the sudden feeling of freefalling. There was a foreboding feeling rising in his stomach that didn't sit well with him—and it wasn't the Chaos Control that quite literally felt as though it was turning the world on its head as they warped across the continent.

 _We'll need all the luck we can get._

* * *

Despite all the pain he had faced throughout his life, Sonic never really hated many things.

Badniks were less that and more of a nuisance. Even a game, in some cases. Something that kept his adrenaline going as he sliced through them like a butter knife. He never really hated Eggman, either—that was too strong of a word. They were more of just… rivals. Always trying to best the other.

Admittedly, Infinite and the following war certainly pegged the mad doctor higher up on Sonic's list of most disliked things. The idea of his friends and family getting hurt was also pretty up there. Although that was something that made him more sad than angry.

But, without any doubt, the one thing Sonic knew that he hated with a passion was _water._

Such a trivial thing, in retrospect. But he did. Hate it. Quite a lot.

So the fact that he was trapped in this dream of darkness, of drifting through what felt like an endless ocean was… less than favorable. Except—except it couldn't be a dream, could it? Because how else would he feel so _conscious?_ How would he be aware that he was dreaming? Maybe it was that thing he'd heard about a while ago. Lucid dreaming, maybe?

But then he opened his eyes, and realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that this was absolutely not a dream. The water lapping against his prone body was, in fact, very real.

Sonic jolted upright instantly. He gasped, trembling, trying to get it _off_ because it was _everywhere,_ steadily rising, so close to drowning him entirely and sealing away the precious air. His surroundings were a little fuzzy as his blood flow struggled to keep up with his sudden movement, and his head throbbed. It felt like thick, molten lava was bubbling inside his skull and frying his brain.

 _Fuck. What happened? What was happening?!_

Water pooled in his lap. The bed he sat on was completely submerged, and the dark liquid was already up to his naval.

Chills raced down his spine.

He glanced down at his prosthetic arm and tried flexing his fingers, some lingering worry in the back of his mind that the thing would electrocute him for being in contact with water—but it just hung there, hardly reacting to his mental command to move. The thing looked utterly mangled and disfigured. A burning sensation right at where it fused with his flesh quickly grew apparent to him.

And then it came back to him. Of him nearly hurting Shadow, and then telling him to break it so he couldn't anymore. _Shit. Capital City._

"Sonic!"

Emerald eyes snapped up and he saw Espio across the room—the hospital wing of HQ, he quickly realized—standing up on his own bed as he struggled to support an unconscious Rouge. There were bandages wrapped around his torso that were red with dried blood.

"Sonic," he called. "I know you're freaking out right now but we need to get out of here. I need you to help me keep Rouge above the surface. She won't wake up."

The hedgehog blinked rapidly, looking around, before he shakily brought himself to stand up on his own mattress. Water could be seen pouring in through the cracks of the only door into the room, off to the right. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know," Espio said. "But I know you don't mix well with water. I need you to take Rouge so you can hold her up, while I try and find a way out."

Sonic swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded. Tentatively, the chameleon eased her down on the bed and stepped into the rising rapids. Sonic pushed off the mattress and propelled himself forwards with a homing attack, landing on the bed Rouge laid on. He lifted her up and slung her arm over his shoulders.

Espio waded through the water, which was currently at his armpits and well up Sonic's calves. It sent another spike of anxiety through his chest just thinking about it. The ninja reached a large window and started banging his fists against it, but it didn't give.

"Shit!" he yelled over the rushing water. "It's too strong."

"What about the door?" Sonic was rapidly becoming desperate.

"Won't work," Espio said. "That's where the water is coming from. If we open it it'll only make the water rise faster."

The hedgehog peered up at the ceiling. "The vents?"

"Too risky. We'll be trapped if we can't find an escape in time."

Sonic shuddered and leaned back against the wall, squeezing Rouge tensely at her side. They were completely trapped and now they were gonna drown, they could do anything about it, and the water was nearly up to his knees already and _he hated it, hated it so much, fuck—_

He really hated water.

* * *

 **tails has had an epiphany ab how fucked up he is but also! reunion with shadow! also the resistance is in Danger :))**

 **not sure when the next chapter will be out since final exam season is rapidly approaching, but i'll try to get it out soon. remember to drop a review!**


	14. chaos

**aaahh sorry this one took so long! i just had to burn through that final stretch of the school year. but now summer's basically here, and i've got a lot more time on my hands to focus on my writing :) anyways enjoy, this one's pretty wack**

* * *

 **XIV.**

 _chaos (ˈkāˌäs)_

 _[noun]_

 _extreme, unpredictable disorder._

* * *

Another wave slammed into her, hard and brutal, and she was sent catapulting backwards across the dark chamber. Liquid electricity lashed at her flailing limbs and threatened to pull her under, eat her alive. It burned with vivacity and danger and something too poisonous and hot to be natural.

Sometimes, when the lighting caught it just right, the water looked less like water and more like— _blood._

With a heaving gasp, she threw herself against the cool wall and groped at it to try and find some leverage to stabilize while she paused to catch her breath. Her chest still felt ajar from the wave that had crashed into her and her ribs ached a little. They were essentially trapped in the middle of a violent bout of rapids.

There was a splash from somewhere across the room, a desperate gasp, but the oscillating waters were too chaotic and the constant roar in her ears of the currents drowned out her senses and kept her from finding whoever it was.

"Amy!" It came from somewhere too far away. It made her heart skip a beat.

"Knuckles!" she cried back, but her voice was swallowed by the pandemonium bottled up in the room.

She didn't really— _know_ how this all started. They had been sitting in the insulation chamber, focused on the Master Emerald, as usual. Knuckles had drifted off into some deep, meditative state, and she'd simply sat and waited for him.

And then the emerald shattered just a little more and seething hot water burst out and Chaos began to wreak havoc.

Because that was what this was, right? Chaos. The water god. Amy had dealt with it once, when Eggman tried using it and Sonic had to defeat it in Station Square, all those years ago. Chaos had seemed so… dismayed and frustrated back then. Now it just seemed feral.

They were quickly nearing the ceiling. Water was rushing continuously from the Master Emerald, still sunken down at the bottom of the wild, thunderous sea they were all trapped in. Amy suspected that Knuckles was attempting to reach it right now, but Chaos vastly overpowered both of them and it didn't seem like that would do much good.

Brushing her damp bangs from her eyes, she glanced over to the far corner of the chamber, nearest to her. Vanilla and Cream were in here, too—because of course they had picked _now_ to stop by and give them some freshly baked goods—clutching for dear life onto a makeshift raft that was nothing more than a stray piece of wood. With some effort, Amy managed to wade her way over to them and grasp onto the plank.

"You guys okay?" she asked through labored breaths, struggling to lift her head above the turbulent waves.

Cream sputtered and Vanilla took a moment to help her daughter clamber up onto the raft more. "Fine, deary," the mother said, "Just help Mr. Knuckles."

"Found this, Miss Amy," Cream whimpered, suddenly, as she handed the hedgehog a spare walkie-talkie. Amy smiled in thanks and started fiddling with the controls to try and break through.

There were only so many people she could contact. Sonic, Rouge, and Espio were all incapacitated still—and oh, fuck, she had to pray they weren't drowning right now too—and the entirety of the resistance was probably dealing with the flooding throughout the rest of the base. But maybe—

The speakers hissed at her and Amy hurriedly got in, "Shadow, you need to get back here! We need help."

His voice barely managed through. _"Amy? Wh… are—afe?"_

From somewhere across the room something could be heard thudding against the wall, followed by a groan of pain. Fuck. "Please, Shadow, you need to hurry—"

A massive wave suddenly materialized over the three, looming and vicious and too fast to predict or avoid. It collapsed over them and Amy lost hold of the raft as she was sent reeling underwater, spinning and thrashing against the current. The water was too dark and she didn't know which way was up anymore; she lost sight of Vanilla and Cream.

The water _—Chaos—_ was _alive._ It thrummed against her skin like a heartbeat, like a writhing newborn coursing with energy in its veins. The occasional flicker of red energy would stream past her like branches of lightning, snappy and biting. The current convulsed, pressing and pulling at her unsteadily with every passing moment.

Chaos had been dormant for so long and now it was—it was _awake_ again. Bursting at the seams with that parasite, the red, so much so that it didn't know how to contain it. Far away—past the strong currents and lashes of red—she could see a glimpse of green buried at the bottom of the room. It was dull and meager and crumbling, now, but the Master Emerald was still standing. And if she could just—just get to it—

Amy was suddenly thrown back against the wall and she immediately sucked in a gulp of air as her face breached the surface. She struggled to stay above the water, let alone regain her bearings or piece together her jumbled thoughts. She didn't know where everyone else was and the water was rising too fast and she could barely _breathe—_

The entire chamber shook, then, as if overtaken by an earthquake. And a horrible roar ripped itself from the throat of Chaos.

* * *

If Sonic didn't know any better, he'd think the water was alive. There was something burning hot and vigorous running along the currents that hissed through the cracks in the doors and lapped against the walls. As it rose up his body and eventually to his neck, it almost felt like it'd been set on fire—as if that could even happen to water.

And it was probably farfetched, but he had to admit that this wasn't a regular flood (although, really, nothing about this situation was normal. There shouldn't be a flood in the first place. Where was the water even _coming_ from?)

It was getting to the point where he couldn't hide on top of the bed anymore. It was rising too fast and he still had to keep Rouge's head above the surface so she wouldn't drown, as he frantically tried to stir her awake and Espio worked adamantly at shattering the ceiling-high window across the room. The ninja would push off to the surface and steal a gulp of air, plunge back under and whittle at the seams and cracks in the glass with his kunai, rinse and repeat. And it was driving Sonic _insane_ because he wasn't making any progress.

"Espio?" he rasped, eventually, tipping his chin up to avoid getting water in his mouth. "You gotta—I can't swim, Espio. I can't swim, I can't—"

The chameleon surfaced and treaded for a moment. There was panic wrought on his face but he somehow managed to keep his cool. Sonic wished he could say the same. "I need you to take a deep breath. We're going to get out of here, I promise."

He was trying, but his chest felt tight and fluttery and the water was everywhere, they were going to drown, they were going to—

Espio was at his side, suddenly, squeezing his arm and trying to draw the still-unconscious Rouge from him. Sonic would have questioned or refuted, but he was preoccupied with trying to calm himself down. Breathing was quickly escalating into hyperventilating and that was the last thing any of them needed.

"I know you hate it, but we don't really have any other options." Espio swallowed thickly. "I need you to try and break the window. I can't do much with my fists or kunai."

Sonic's breath hitched. "We can't—I—"

"Hey, just breathe. Calm down."

It was so hard. His eyes burned with salt and he couldn't tell if it was the water or tears.

But then the flood reached the point where it was impossible to stand on solid ground anymore and there was only another foot or so until it would reach the ceiling. Sonic gasped and threw his arms to the wall to try and grab onto something to keep him afloat, but he was alone, he was going to die—

" _Sonic,_ " Espio heaved, suddenly, and it was enough to snap the hedgehog out of his frenzy. The reptile was kicking at the water vehemently, just barely keeping Rouge's head above it. "I can't—she's too heavy. Please."

He was hit with a sudden realization, in that moment, that the thing he hated most wasn't water. It was letting them win. It was not being good enough.

Fear seized his body like ice and seemed to trap him in place, but with a deep breath of air Sonic pushed off of the wall in one powerful, fluid movement, and glided seamlessly through the murky rapids. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his head, against his temples, and the darkness was so suffocating and withering, but he pushed on, anyways. Ignored the fact that he was so, so scared.

Because he had to do better. After being gone for so long—after letting everyone down—he had to prove he could do this. He had to.

With the momentum he gained Sonic curled into a ball and threw himself as hard as he could into the window. There was a muted thud and it was hard to see through the thick, poisoned liquid, but he was confident it had to have done something. He kicked it and threw his fists at it till his knuckles felt raw and bruised and his ankles throbbed. He didn't dare come up for air until his entire chest was alight with deprivation.

Sonic breached the surface and the whole world was spinning on its head. The rapids were scarily violent and he couldn't see Espio and Rouge anymore, aside from the occasional shout and thud on the other side of the room that had to be the chameleon banging on the door and pleading for help. Sonic's body screamed at him to get out and breathe, but he went against all his senses and dove under again, spindashing right into the sturdy pane of glass.

He kept going again until his entire body felt bruised and his vision was spotty and his lungs ached, before pushing back up. This time there was hardly any air left and the water had practically reached the ceiling. Sonic wavered and scrambled to catch his breath for a few seconds and he was positive that he was crying now because there was _no_ way they'd make it out, they were going to drown, _he was going to die—_ and he plunged back under.

He was determined, if nothing else. To fight till he had no fight left in him. Sonic made his way back to the window and straddled the frame to keep himself from floating away, and rammed his fists relentlessly against it. Just outside, through the blurriness of his eyesight and the fog of the rapids, he could see greenery. He could see the moon shining gloriously in the night sky.

His lungs cried for him and his limbs trembled. He felt like he was trapped in a jar of molasses, now, too slow to break out. Not enough time. Not enough time. He never— _he never had the chance to—_

Every muscle and bone in Sonic's body groaned at him, and he relented. Let himself drift. Bubbles escaped from his lips and a furious pain burned deep in his chest, absent of any air, but he did nothing to stop it. He had no more strength left in him.

He was going to die at the hands of his worst nightmare. To water. To failure.

Something foreign and chilling raced up his body, an instant reprieve from the seething water that scorched his skin, and it was sudden and jarring enough to make him blink his eyes open and try to squint through the dim waters. There was a vague glint through the glass, too small and insignificant to matter, but something about it pulled at him longingly. Urgently.

And then it grew, intensified, and there was an explosive crash and the water gave way and Sonic was engulfed in gold.

* * *

The moment their feet were back on solid ground, Shadow felt off-kilter. Because frankly, he'd anticipated a lot of different scenarios upon their return—fiery destruction, screams of terror, some sort of battle, _anything—_ but instead they were met with an eerie silence and the distant sound of rushing water.

He took a hesitant step forward and frowned at the way his skate squished into the grass like he was in some sort of marsh. That wasn't right. They were on the outskirts of the central clearing on Angel Island, HQ only a few hundred meters away. It was a _field,_ not a swamp.

From behind him, Guntiver murmured, "So where is everyone?"

A long stretch of silence followed because nobody really knew how to answer that question. It was considerably dark out and given the fact that the resistance intended to stay hidden from Eggman and his forces, they decided to steer away from using much lighting. The building was therefore nothing more than a massive dark silhouette, barely legible through the thick air of the night.

And then Shadow felt it.

Something shifted, something permeable and alive, and a rumbling groan rolled out of the structure in a heavy wave of toxic energy. It shook the ground beneath their feet made their hair stand on end. The very oxygen Shadow breathed felt sharp and electric as it travelled down his throat.

"Shit," he hissed, jogging forwards. The padding footsteps behind him signified that the others were following close behind. "Something's wrong. Really wrong."

By the time they were at the walls of the towering building, grassy, hot water had seeped up to their ankles. It was trickling through the seams of every window and beneath the cracks of every door. The entire HQ had to be completely flooded.

Shadow turned to Tails, who bit his lip and shuddered. "Chaos."

"What?"

"No, I think—" the kit's eyes were wide and terrified as he spoke, "I think it's Chaos. _The_ Chaos."

Bunnie did a double take. "Sorry, you mean the mythical, all-powerful _water god,_ Chaos?"

And then realization smacked Shadow in the face, unwelcoming and harsh, because _of course._ He'd still been in cryostasis at the time, but he remembered Sonic telling him about how once, when he must've only been fourteen or fifteen, Eggman managed to awaken the dormant god and unleash it on Station Square. And how Sonic defeated it, and they stored it once more within the Master Emerald—the same Master Emerald that was currently locked up in the heart of HQ, _very_ unstable and _very_ contaminated with an unknown source of antagonizing energy.

"No," Shadow said, swallowing hard. "The _real_ water god, Chaos."

As his words left his mouth, another roar split through the air, this one much more thunderous. The entire group was shaken from their frozen terror, and glanced amongst each other as though waiting for someone to come up with a plan, because this was honestly disastrous.

"Shadow," Tails said critically. "What happened to the Master Emerald?"

But they didn't—they didn't have any—"There's no time," he snapped back. "You three," he gestured to Vector, Charmy, and Guntiver, "come with me; we'll head to the left wing. Silver, you lead the others to the right. Check the windows and see if anybody inside needs help. We'll meet on the other side of the building."

Shadow was already sprinting towards his destination, trying to get a good look through every window that he passed to only be met with murky, swashing rapids on the other side of the glass. He needed to get to the hospital wing, because there were currently three greatly injured and probably unconscious people in there that were likely in desperate need of help, and it was driving him mad just thinking about it. Some of his closest friends, his _hydrophobic fiancé,_ trapped, drowning, with no way out—

There was movement and a blob shifting around through a particular window, distinctly cerulean blue, that made Shadow skid to a stop and gaze horrifyingly at it. It was hard to make out but yes, _fuck,_ that was most definitely his idiot hedgehog, and his movements were too sluggish and still for Shadow's comfort.

Before he could think, he already had golden energy crackling at his fingertips, before the light expanded around his fist and he sent a Chaos Spear piercing through the window. From behind, he almost heard Vector shout something, but it was instantly drowned out by the shattering of glass and the massive roar of water that came gushing out of the room. Shadow braced himself but was knocked over, anyways, by the mere force of the wave.

When he opened his eyes he was strewn across the mushy grass, sat in a massive puddle that stretched out several meters from the flood he just incurred. Vector, Charmy, and the coyote were all jogging over to catch up and—and three more bodies were laying down in the marsh with him.

Shadow was at Sonic's side in an instant, rolling him on his back and shaking his shoulders. Sonic's eyelids fluttered and he groaned softly but he seemed completely out of it. He was drenched and clammy. His chest rose a little before violently racking—like there was something stuck in there that kept him from breathing properly.

Shadow's blood ran cold and he started doing compressions. He pressed hard against his chest at regular intervals, trying to ignore the way his arms were shaking and panic was bubbling up his throat. _He had to be okay, he had to—_

Sonic jolted upwards suddenly, sputtering and heaving as water spilled down his chin. His eyes were wide and scared and potent with something that made Shadow feel sick. He took a moment to reorient himself, glancing around the clearing like he wasn't exactly sure how he got here, before his eyes landed on Shadow and he sighed in relief.

"H-Hey."

The ebony hedgehog rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm over his shoulders. The others had already caught up and were helping Espio and Rouge, too, who seemed to be alright.

"Hey, yourself." He pressed his forehead to Sonic's, willing a bit of Chaos energy from his palms to try and heat him up. The speedster was shaking uncontrollably, and he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the trauma. "You okay?"

Sonic swallowed thickly and coughed a bit. "I am, now."

"Are you sure? What about your arm?"

He shook his head and smiled slightly. "Positive. And, still broken, but that's probably for the best."

Shadow grimaced. "Right." He withdrew slightly from their position, in which he was practically cradling Sonic in his arms because fuck off, he had every right to be worried. Espio was being fawned over by Vector and Charmy, and Guntiver was helping Rouge to her feet. When she saw Shadow, a bit of calm shone through her eyes.

She escaped Guntiver's grasp easily, her walk retaining a minor limp from her bad ankle. Her broken wing drooped pitifully from her back. She smiled uncertainly. "Hey, uh. What the hell is going on?"

Sonic pursed his lips as the two hedgehogs stood up, and looked privately to Shadow. "She was still unconscious during… all of that."

"Holy Chaos," Shadow muttered. He looked back to Rouge, just as approached him. "HQ is completely flooded. We don't really know—"

"It's gotta be Chaos," Sonic said, glancing anxiously back at the dark building. "That—energy. I _know_ it. But it's so much more…"

"Unstable?"

"Hostile," he amended, his brows furrowed. "But yeah, that too. No idea where it came from, though. Last I thought, Chaos was taking a nice, long nap with Tikal. That was like, over five years ago."

Shadow mulled his words over in his mind. "Which means something woke it up. And I think we know what."

The Chaotix joined them, along with Guntiver. Espio was clutching his chest and leaning against Vector.

Rouge looked the coyote up and down. "So. New guy?"

"Long story," Shadow brushed off, "we can explain it later. He's a friend."

The brute smiled but it was plagued with fatigue. "The name's Guntiver. Wish I could'a met you all in different circumstances."

Sonic crossed his arms and shuddered against Shadow's side. "I think we _all_ wish we were in different circumstances right now."

Just as the words left his mouth, the sound of splitting concrete snapped through the air from above, at the top of HQ. An explosive howl rumbled through the air, deep and horrible and omnipotent. A torrent of water gushed straight into the air, like a massive pillar, and the very roof of the structure crumbled along with it. The entire group nearly lost their balance from the suddenness and audacity of the scene.

Shadow blinked rapidly and struggled to catch his breath. "What the _fuck._ "

* * *

Knuckles could see her, scrambling to stay above the surface, from across the room. He could also nearly see the rabbits huddled together on the raft, although they were even further away—which was really a good thing, because he needed those two as far away from the action as possible.

"Amy!" he called out, and she didn't seem to hear him so he tried again. Jade eyes locked onto him this time. "I need to get to the emerald! Use your hammer!"

She looked at him in a bewildered state of confusion, so he took to big gesticulations to demonstrate his meaning. Amy processed for a moment before making a motion that looked somewhat like a nod. Knuckles supposed he'd have to take that and roll with it.

He waded backwards until his back was to a wall, scrunching up his face as a wave of water slapped against him, and propelled himself from it as hard as he could. He used the momentum to curl into a spindash as he skidded over the surface of the water towards Amy. He prayed to all the gods he could think of that she was prepared.

Something hard slammed against him and Knuckles was sent careening in the opposite direction, plunging underwater. Pride swelled in his chest for her. _That's my girl._

As the water ripped past him he uncurled, keeping his fists in front of him as he quickly approached the Master Emerald, burrowed at the heart of the raging sea. Its currents whipped against him like electric tendrils but he pushed past them, rushing closer and closer to the mass of green. If he could just shatter it, then—

The water reverberated against his skin, rippling unnaturally, and then a jet of it slammed hard against him just before he could reach the emerald. Precious air bubbles burst from his lips and suddenly he was spinning out of control, his stomach doing back flips as he shot further and further from the Master, until he collided against a wall. He groaned in pain and didn't have any fight left to contradict the hands that curled around his wrists and started dragging him upwards.

When Knuckles found himself above the surface again, Amy was holding him. _Amy._ "Shit," she hissed. "You okay? That looked painful. I—I didn't hit you too hard back there, did I?"

He gasped for air. "Y—Yes, fine, I'm fine. You're fine. We need—Chaos is—"

Before he could even get out the rest of his words, the water god belted out a shriek and began to oscillate aggressively. It—It shot straight upwards like a beacon, bursting through the roof, leaving them abruptly alone in significantly calmer, shallower, and _un-alive_ waters. And that was good, yes, because at least they weren't going to drown anymore, but now it was also a lot fucking worse because—

Because now Chaos was on the loose.

* * *

They'd only just rounded the corner when an explosion sounded from atop the building and a waterfall came pouring down directly in front of them. The puddle left in its wake squirmed on the ground for a moment, before reforming into a corporeal being that sent an eerie wave of déjà vu shuddering across Tails' mind.

It warped and rippled unsettlingly, like it couldn't decide on a form, like everything that composed it was completely unhinged—which probably rang true. It finally began to settle until Chaos stood about three feet taller than the mobians, with a broad torso and lanky arms. Its head looked sort of like a cross, with its weird pink brain floating around inside. But the creepy part was how it didn't just have two green eyes anymore—one of them was _red,_ and likewise, flickers of red glimmered across its convulsing form like blood vessels.

Chills raced down Tails' spine and he tentatively held out his electric sword.

Gadget yelped from beside him. "What the hell is that?!"

Silver and Bunnie braced themselves for a battle as the former said, with narrowed eyes, "I think that's Chaos."

On cue, the ravenous god lunged forward, directly towards Gadget who yelled in shock and lost his footing at the sight of a _water monster twice his size_ coming right for him. Panic seized Tails and he instinctively grabbed Gadget, yanking him backwards so hard that they both fell to the ground. Bunnie leapt to the side and aimed her arm-cannon, charging up a blast.

A blanket of turquoise then spread over Chaos and managed to barely contain it. Silver maintained a steady aim of his palms, but his face was screwed up in concentration. "Holy shit. You guys better figure out a plan fast because I dunno how long I can hold this guy!"

And then Amy leapt down from the roof, stumbling forwards before catching herself, and looking uneasily at the group. She glanced at Chaos and smiled wearily. "Oh, good, you guys—wait, _Tails?!_ "

The teenager blanched. "Amy—"

"Well, now, isn't this rich."

Everything _froze._

They all turned to the sound of the voice, a wave of terror lapsing collectively over them. A warm glow of red was drifting down from above. Two rabbits, dread written across their faces from inside the carmine bubble, stared desperately at their friends, as their captor touched down to the ground.

Infinite cocked his head and chuckled delightedly. "Don't you all just love reunions?"

A feeling of pure hatred surged up Tails and he clenched his Wispon tighter. "What do you want?"

The jackal hummed noncommittally before looking up at the roof of HQ and lightly bobbing his chin. There was a yell of frustration from above before Knuckles came soaring down, trapped in a similar red light, and was thrown haphazardly against a tree. Amy jostled and started towards him, but then a whip of scarlet hooked around her ankle and tripped her.

Infinite placed his foot against her chest, pressing her against the damp grass as she grunted in pain.

He eyed Chaos keenly, ignoring Tails entirely. "Hm, so this must be the beauty behind all the ruckus? I have to say, I've been observing this—catastrophe unfold since last night, and it's really quite pathetic. None of you really picked up on the sudden rise of energy? Are you really that oblivious?"

Tails wanted, more than anything, to march right up to the sick bastard and slice his head off, but he _couldn't._ Not when his friends were in danger. No. He needed to be careful. "Let them go."

Infinite's gaze shifted back to him and the others. He laughed lowly. "Sorry, but I don't think you understand the definition of leverage."

Silver was shaking, and sweat beaded down his face; he couldn't hold Chaos for much longer. Gadget was still reeling on the ground and Bunnie was right behind Tails, but then Infinite still had Knuckles and Cream and Vanilla trapped in red bubbles. Amy was currently pinned beneath his fucking boot.

"Look around yourself, boy." Infinite dug his heel a bit more into Amy's chest, and she flinched. "You don't get to make demands, here. I'll only let your precious friends go if you meet my conditions, as well."

Tails was trembling, a seething hot anger wrestling his conscious and willpower. He bit his tongue. "Fine."

"Excellent!" From beneath the mask, a golden eye twinkled maliciously, and he chuckled. "I want the god."

* * *

 **hdfjgksdhkg talk ab intense, huh? we're so close to having the whole gang together again, but now infinite's here to crash the party :,) this chapter was originally gonna be longer, but i decided to split it up. next one is gonna chill out a little, i promise. kind of. hehehe**

 **drop a review or follow/fav if ur enjoying so far! your continued support means sm to me!**


	15. hearth

**sry this one was a little on the late side :/ i really like this chapter tho. i think y'all will too hehe**

* * *

 **XV.**

 _hearth (härTH)_

 _[noun]_

 _a place of safety and comfort._

* * *

The calm didn't last long.

Shadow didn't even really assume he could call it a calm, more like a small pocket of time where they were allowed to breathe. It was calm for him, at least, because he was holding Sonic in his arms and Sonic was holding him back, and they were just _okay_ for the time being. Sonic was still shaking minutely and he seemed pretty shaken, but he was breathing and he was safe and Shadow had him.

But, again, it didn't last long.

Something corporeal rippled through the air that prickled against their skin, subtle but still there, that sent a wave of chills down Shadow's spine. He knew Sonic felt it too, because he instantly bristled and pulled away from their embrace, scanning the immediate area.

"What—What was that?"

Rouge eyed both hedgehogs strangely. "What was what?"

"I don't know," Sonic muttered, dragging a hand tiredly over his face. "Felt like Chaos energy or something. Does someone have an emerald?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and looked back to the flooded building. "I don't think that's Chaos energy. It felt different."

Vector crossed his arms. "Good different or bad different?"

There was a hazy flash of red light on the other side of the structure, just barely visible over the rooftop, and everybody froze up. It looked eerily familiar. Sonic sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm gonna say, bad."

* * *

"I want the god."

A little ways away, leaned against a tree and reeling from being thrown into it full-force, Knuckles tried to sit up. "Like hell you're just gonna—"

"I would choose your next words wisely, echidna," Infinite sneered, and he purposefully dug his heel harder into Amy's chest. She grunted and squirmed beneath him, and flashed Knuckles a small smile.

"It's okay," she said. "Don't worry about me."

Anger, vulgar and crude and ravenous, surged up his body in a fiery, all-consuming wave. Knuckles _hated_ this—hated _everything_ about this. An indescribable urge to—to choke the life out of Infinite quickly swelled up within him and it took a great deal of willpower to force it back down. The sadistic fucker was just watching him, half-mindedly, forcing the one person he—fuck, the one person he _loved_ more than anything, to stay pinned on the ground, choking for air.

Everybody was watching. Silver began to tremble under the brute force of trying to contain Chaos, which wormed around dangerously in its cage of teal energy. The rabbits were still levitating in midair behind Infinite, trapped in red and mortified. And—and then there was Tails, which was a whole other thing, because _what the fuck,_ Knuckles hadn't seen him in months. But the kid was there, absolutely paralyzed, a similar look of fear carved into his features.

Knuckles slowly brought himself to his feet, his gaze flicking between Infinite and Chaos. "You… You have to understand the repercussions. Chaos is way too unstable for you to take, right now."

"That's what is so exciting to me," the jackal drawled, transfixed on the thrashing god. "The doctor failed to inform me that _this_ was the source of the spike in Chaos energy. But now that I'm here—it's fascinating, wouldn't you say?"

"Chaos isn't some toy for you to break."

Infinite's head snapped back to Knuckles and lowered his tone. "Perhaps I should rephrase: If you do not give it to me, I will kill this girl and those sad little rabbits."

Knuckles' voice got caught in his throat. Because of course he wouldn't _—couldn't—_ just sacrifice them, but—but was that really the better choice? Because if Infinite and Eggman had Chaos at their disposal, that could very well have devastating consequences. They could _all_ die. But he also couldn't live with the thought that he gave up an innocent child's life, her mother's life, _Amy's_ life, in the hopes that maybe the rest of them would be spared.

He made to speak but Tails did, instead. "Deal. Silver, just give it to him."

"Hold on," Infinite said, suddenly, and it made Knuckles' stomach do this weird sort of flip because _what now._ The tyrant shifted his weight to look over his shoulder at the forest behind him. He laughed lowly. "Oh, come on now, you all didn't really think I wouldn't notice, did you?"

The cyborg-lady frowned, from beside Tails. "Notice what?"

Infinite didn't falter. Red crackled around his fingertips and Knuckles tried to ignore the way Amy flinched at the sight of it. Any amusement in the madman's voice was gone, replaced with something dead and thorny.

"You all are really starting to get on my nerves," he said. "Don't play stupid, you know better than that."

There was slight movement deep within the thick foliage, and Knuckles felt a sudden wave of cold roll over him. Someone was over there watching and they obviously weren't on Infinite's side, so—whoever it was he just had to pray they wouldn't do anything stupid.

A tense, heavy silence fell over the congregation of people as they all scanned the thick woods around them, squinting through the darkness of the evening sunset. Clearly nobody knew what was going on, but Infinite seemed to think otherwise. Knuckles nearly said as much, but then the jackal just sighed melodramatically and flicked his wrist in a lazy, beckoning motion.

Branches and weeds snapped thunderously against the quiet atmosphere before two more red bubbles were dragged out of the foliage, and the two respective bodies inside were sent careening helplessly towards the rest of the group. One was slammed against the wall of the building and the other landed just a couple feet away from Infinite, pinned to the ground.

If it weren't for his mask, Knuckles would've bet that a nasty grin split across Infinite's face as he spoke. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Long time no see, rodents."

* * *

Sonic was just about ready to sprint over to the other side of HQ in half a second, but before he could even take a step forwards, a strong hand latched onto his arm and yanked him backwards. He grunted and frowned as he turned back around.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Shadow asked, and he looked and sounded just as level-headed as always, but there was something—just vaguely _scared_ in his eyes.

"If that's—" he sighed and lowered his voice, stepping closer to his fiancé, "We both know what that red light is. There could be others in danger over there and we can't just—"

Shadow gripped both of Sonic's shoulders and stared evenly at him. "You nearly drowned five minutes ago, in case you forgot. Wait here and rest. I'll go investigate."

But Sonic wasn't just—he couldn't go alone. And with a quick scan over their companions—two of them were still pretty injured from the fight with Metal, one of them was a kid, and… well, there was Vector and Guntiver, but they were both pretty big guys that wouldn't be the best at stealth, plus they've never even faced Infinite one-on-one—

"What are you thinking?" Shadow's voice was soft and gentle, and he knew he was just trying to keep him safe but he… Sonic couldn't just sit around and wait. He didn't _do_ that.

He straightened his posture and looked his partner firmly in the eye. "I'm thinkin' that I'm going with you."

"Sonic—"

"I'm fine, Shads," he snarled, and maybe it came out a bit too loud, too harsh, but he just—couldn't stand it. After getting taken all those months ago, stripped of everything he had and abused for weeks on end in a prison cell, after losing twice to Metal, and now nearly drowning, he—he _hated_ it, so much. Hated that he couldn't be better or stronger. That he couldn't live up to his goddamn name and be a hero.

He needed to be a hero again. He was growing real sick and tired of being some helpless guy that needed saving.

Inhaling deeply, Sonic locked his jaw and eased Shadow's hands off of his shoulders, taking his hands instead. "Look, I know you're worried about me, but I can handle myself." He smiled and chuckled breathily. "Besides, you and I both know I'd probably just do something really stupid and reckless if you forced me to stay behind."

Shadow scanned his face for a few seconds, tracing quiet patterns into his palms. It felt strange on his cybernetic arm, with sensation mostly lacking. It was just a muted tingle, hardly noticeable, but still present. Still a poignant reminder that Shadow was here, with him, determined above all else to protect him and the others.

(Chaos, Sonic was so in love with him it was stupid. And that train of thought only provoked another spike of rage with Eggman and Infinite, because if it wasn't for them, they'd already be married.)

There was a deeply rooted fondness pooled in those ruby eyes. A smirk pulled at his lips from Sonic's words. "Alright. Just stay close to me and please, think before you act."

He grinned back and pressed a quick kiss to Shadow's cheek, breaking into a run and pulling him along for the ride. "No promises!"

"We'll be back soon, wait here," Shadow called over his shoulder to the others, as he and Sonic ran into the woods. They heard a distant call back, probably from Rouge, that sounded compliant enough, so they continued forwards.

They made their way around the perimeter of the clearing wrapped around the base, making sure to keep their footsteps light and their heads low. They quickly reached the opposite side of the building before stopping to crouch behind some bushes, listening and waiting to the voices they heard not far away.

Infinite was monologuing—that much Sonic could tell—which was, well, expected. That asshole loved hearing the sound of his own voice. But there were others, too: Knuckles was talking back to him, not sounding particularly happy. Someone with pink fur (Amy?) was pinned beneath Infinite's foot, but it was hard to see through the thicket of flora he and Shadow hid behind. And surely enough Chaos was levitating in midair, trapped by what he could only assume to be Silver's psychokinesis, and there was a rabbit and a wolf he'd never seen before, and— _and—_

Sonic instantly jerked forward to get a better look, and he flinched as a twig snapped beneath his sneaker. Shadow grabbed his hand and squeezed, pulling him back subtly.

"What are you doing?" the agent whispered, his eyes wide and anxious.

But there was adrenaline coursing through Sonic's bloodstream, hot and alive, and he just couldn't sit still because that had to be—"It's _Tails,_ " he hissed, and maybe he was shaking but he couldn't really tell, everything just felt so on-edge. "That's—Shads, it's _Tails._ "

Shadow pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to coax Sonic lower to the ground. "I know, love, we just—need to be careful. Infinite can't know we're here."

And, speak of the devil. The tyrant rose his voice suddenly, his words slicing cleanly through the humid air. "You all are really starting to get on my nerves. Don't play stupid, you know better than that."

There was immediate silence. Shadow tensed up and pressed a finger to Sonic's lips, shaking his head at him in a gesture that clearly meant _shut up._ Sonic took the message without question, his muscles freezing up as they tried to keep as still and quiet as possible amongst the brush.

And then it felt really hot.

Sonic blinked at the startling change in temperature and tried to look around but—but he couldn't _move_ anymore. His vision was clouded in a deep red mist that felt like it soaked into his fur like boiling water. He grew frantic, trying to move his lips or squeeze Shadow's hand or _anything,_ but he was just locked in place.

Some strange force tugged at him and then he wasn't locked in place anymore, he was flying past the plethora of trees and bristle, getting whipped by branches along the way. He lost sight of Shadow as his surroundings blurred and his sense of direction became muddled.

And then he was laying on the ground, still furled in the grasp of the red energy, and a certain jackal was peering down at him. He was speaking to him, but Sonic was still seeing stars from whatever the hell just happened, and it took a moment to process Infinite's words.

"Long time no see, rodents."

The tyrant waved his hand and the red instantly dissipated, and suddenly Sonic could move again. He lurched upright, gasping for air and wildly taking in his surroundings. Amy was right beside him, smiling feebly, still pinned beneath Infinite's boot.

With a quick glance around he could see all eyes on him, now. Not too far away, Shadow was leaning against the wall, in a similarly frazzled state to himself. Scarlet eyes met Sonic's, briefly, before they landed on Infinite and darkened. Chaos energy sizzled in his palms and he nearly broke into a run, but then Infinite just nodded at him, and Shadow was trapped in the red energy again, stuck against the wall.

He gritted his teeth and tried to fight the Ruby's power, but it was futile. Sonic swallowed thickly and decided maybe he should keep his cool and wait before trying to attack.

Infinite watched Shadow with a bored look in that wicked yellow eye for only a moment, before looking back down at Sonic again. He hummed lightly and tipped Sonic's chin up to trace a claw along his neck.

"I believe you owe me an apology," the jackal spat. "You haven't been too kind to my badniks lately."

Sonic gave him a bitter smile. "Ah, well, I was only returning the favor."

At that, Infinite clenched his fist, and as he did so the red energy returned and tightened around Sonic's body like steel chains. He was lifted up into the air to float just beside Infinite, and if he really managed he could see his friends out of the corner of his eye.

"You've been a bit of a nuisance, you know." Infinite's words were eerily calm and it made something sharp and cold stir in Sonic's gut, despite the hot energy enveloping his body. "And yet look at you now! Completely at my mercy."

He gradually brought Sonic back down to the ground until his feet just barely skimmed the dewy grass.

"So then, let me catch you up. As long as you stay put, and meet my demands, you and your little friends will not be harmed. That's all I ask." He pointed a crooked finger at Chaos, worming around violently against Silver's power. Sonic felt the red energy fade again, until he was standing there completely of his own volition and strength. "I trust that I don't need to keep you restrained hedgehog. You were so docile back in your prison cell."

And that did it. Sonic lifted a fist and came _so close_ to shattering that stupid mask, an untamable wrath itching at his skin. "Oh, _fuck_ you—"

Just before his knuckles connected with Infinite's face, the jackal withdrew some tiny remote and pressed a button. And Sonic's world was consumed in agony.

He fell to the ground, scathing electricity rushing up his metal arm and burning him alive. He cried out in pain, writhing helplessly in the dirt, his vision turning dark and red. He could just barely hear an outburst of voices above the cacophony of his blood rushing in his eardrums and the sharp ringing that wrapped around his head. Everything burned, _so bad—_

"I said, _stop!_ "

It did. Sonic wheezed, rolling on his side and shuddering as pinpricks of lightning continued to trickle across his limp form. Knuckles was glowering at Infinite with a spite in his eyes that Sonic didn't think he'd ever seen before.

"Then you all will comply, now. Give me Chaos. And I'm taking this rat, too."

"No," Knuckles growled, before stiffening and taking a step back. "I—wait, okay, you can take Chaos. But not Sonic. He stays with us."

Infinite's finger dangerously skimmed the button on the remote. Sonic instinctively grimaced and prepared to get electrocuted again. "It's all or nothing, echidna."

When Sonic glanced over, he instantly locked eyes with Tails. They stared at each other for a few seconds and somehow it felt like an eternity. There were so many emotions swirling around in the kid's eyes and he just—fuck, he missed him so much, it had been so long—

"Take me instead."

Everybody turned to look at Knuckles. He stood firm and didn't waver, not even a little bit.

Infinite cocked his head. "Oh? And why would I want to do that?"

"Chaos is ridiculously unstable. I'm not kidding when I say it'll probably kill you as soon as you leave with it. But—but I'm the guardian. You need me, to keep an eye on it and keep it under control. I'm the only one on this planet that knows how to do that."

Sonic casted him a tired, heavy look. "Knux…"

"No," Amy groaned, "no, Knuckles, you can't—"

"It's a deal," Infinite said. There was no room for argument. He looked expectantly to Silver, and after Knuckles also nodded to him, the psychic passed over the captive Chaos with a lingering reluctance. There was a moment where Chaos was completely free from any hold, in which it screeched and tried to escape, before Infinite captured it in the Phantom Ruby's power and it was trapped in place again.

Following his own word, Infinite then released the rabbits and Shadow, and stepped away from Amy. Knuckles gave her a sullen look that was nearly a smile.

"If you all are smart, you won't try anything stupid. Next time I won't be so merciful," is all Infinite said, before the gemstone in his chest glimmered red and suddenly he, Knuckles, and Chaos were gone.

Nobody had the guts to move or talk or do anything, really, other than stare at the empty spot in the grass where their friend just was. Where that fucking _psychopath_ just was.

Livelihood gradually returned to them all. Amy sat up and ran her hands over her face, muffling sobs that scratched at her throat. Shadow regained his bearings and helped the rabbits onto their feet. Silver sighed and muttered something to himself, and Sonic just—he kind of just wanted to collapse.

Knuckles sacrificed himself for him. Let himself be taken prisoner just so Sonic could walk away. An aching feeling pulled at him in his heart, a dreary voice in the back of his head, that told him over and over again, _it should've been you._

A voice pierced through everything, through the labored breaths and muted cries and low whispers of the others. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

"… S-Sonic?"

He looked up and Tails, his baby brother, was staring right back at him. His eyes were red-rimmed and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably like it just couldn't contain all of the grief and exhaustion written plainly across his face anymore. The kid was nearly fifteen but now, as Sonic watched him slowly unravel right before his eyes, he looked just like that same little eight-year-old from all those years ago. All Sonic could think of was _back then,_ when the world was still right and his biggest concern at the time was warding off the bullies that teased Tails for being too nerdy and having an extra appendage.

Somehow he also looked so much older than Sonic last remembered. There was something gritty in his eyes, eroded with experience and age. Tails was still so young, even at fourteen years old, and he—he was just forced to grow up too fast. He didn't deserve it, not at all.

A whimper slipped out from the fox and then he was bounding towards Sonic, faster than he'd probably ever seen the kid run before. Tails fell to his knees and collapsed into Sonic's arms, sobs wracking his body as he buried his face in his chest and dug his fingers into the hedgehog's sides.

Sonic struggled to find his voice, and when he finally did his words came out thick with emotion. "Hey, buddy," he murmured, hugging his brother back just as tightly. "It's—It's okay. I've got you. I promise."

They all stayed there for a little while, unable to find the courage to do much else. The wrecked HQ loomed over them like a ghost, casting an even darker shadow than the night sky, as they waited and tried to catch their breaths. And Sonic didn't dare move a muscle. Just sat there and held his baby brother and told him over and over, _it'll be okay, it'll be okay,_ even if he wasn't sure if he believed it himself.

* * *

Sally was gracious enough to take in straggling rebels, even if it was just for a little while. HQ was built for the purpose of providing a temporary home for everyone that was displaced after Eggman took over, that wanted to join the fight, and even then it met its maximum capacity at a couple hundred occupants. Knothole was a _town,_ but a very small and secluded one, with only so many houses. The only way to fit everybody in was to disperse a few people into every bedroom and living room available. She apologized for the fact that many would have to sleep on the floors, but Shadow just brushed it off and insisted their gratitude that they at least had _somewhere_ to stay.

Most of the other rebels were shuffling off to their new living quarters, some dragging along what belongings of theirs were still intact after the flood. Most of them didn't seem to have many possessions to begin with, but it was still a depressing sight to see them all padding around the dirt roads with nothing but the clothes on their backs, human hair and mobian fur alike still damp.

Tails sighed and leaned further against Sonic's side, and his older brother tightened his hold around his shoulders. They, along with most of the other rebel leaders like Shadow, Amy, Rouge, and the Chaotix, were standing in the middle of the village talking with Sally.

"We can prepare a bonfire for tonight," she told them. "We should have enough rations for everyone."

"I was planning on heading back to HQ with a few others to get the Master Emerald and salvage whatever else we could, so we'll be sure to bring over any extra food we find," Shadow said. He nodded at the mayor courteously. "Again, thank you for doing this."

Bunnie shook her head at him, from where she stood beside Sally. "It's no problem, sugar, really. We're glad to have you."

"You guys need any help? Like, setting up or somethin'?" Sonic asked. Tails admittedly found comfort in the way his chest rumbled as he spoke, against the side of his head.

Sally clasped her hands together, pursing her lips and glancing around. "Uh, well, we're gonna need to chop up a bunch of firewood. We'll probably need to do some extra fishing too, since we've got so many mouths to feed."

Sonic seemed on the verge of offering some help, before Shadow turned to him and spoke in a lower tone. "Love, why don't you two… catch up?" He looked to the fox. "Maybe Tails can figure out what the hell we're gonna do with your arm."

He noticed the way his older brother tensed up at that, only minutely. He definitely wanted to know the story behind that. He wanted to know everything. Like—like how Sonic was still alive in the first place.

"Yeah," the speedster said, rubbing Tails' shoulder. "Sounds good."

"Well, our workshop is still in shambles after…" Sally trailed off, and then smiled thinly and cleared her throat. "Uh, whatever tools or supplies that we saved from the wreckage is in Antoine and Bunnie's basement. You're free to use it."

"Thanks," Tails said. He and Sonic broke away from each other and started heading towards the house Sally gestured to, but not before his brother stopped beside Amy.

It was a little jarring for him, after not seeing her for months, to see her so—quiet and tired. She had dark bags under her eyes and she kind of looked like she wanted to cry, but she didn't. Just leaned a little against Rouge and kept her gaze trained on the ground. She looked up to stare between the two brothers, though.

"How are ya' holding up?" Sonic asked, and his voice was gentle.

Amy shrugged and pulled on a brittle face that barely passed for a smile. "Fine."

The male hedgehog hesitated briefly, and then reached forward and took her hand in both of his, squeezing it in a comforting gesture. "Knux can hold his own. We'll get him back, I promise."

She didn't seem to have it in her to respond, instead just sucking in a sharp breath and breaking away from his eye contact. She looked at Tails cautiously, before lifting a hand and placing it on his shoulder, eyeing him fondly.

"Missed you, squirt."

Tails smiled. "I missed you too, Amy."

Sonic looked to Tails, and with a parting word to their friend they both headed down into the bowels of Bunnie's house.

The basement wasn't much to talk about. It was kind of small and loaded with unpacked cardboard boxes, and there was a single, charred workbench in the center of the room. There were a few tools and torn up blueprints strewn about. Tails suspected that any progress they'd made on the emerald tracker had been completely destroyed from the other night.

Sonic hopped up on a stool and laid his robot arm across the surface of the table. Tails studied it carefully, trying not to move it around too much in case it was sensitive. The thing was honestly kind of remarkable, seeing as it was still somewhat functional despite how damaged it looked. Part of the bicep was slightly crushed, as though someone had stepped on it like a beer can. There were also some loose wires and dents, and the purple paint was chipping off a bit—but aside from that it was relatively pristine and sleek.

"So," the kit began, and his tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth. It was weird, talking to him. Like he was talking to a ghost. "Uh. Eggman did this to you?"

The hedgehog grimaced and flexed his steel digits. "Yeah. Metal messed up my arm pretty bad so they had to… amputate. It's—fine, we just don't really know what this thing is rigged with. Metal took control of it once and nearly made me shoot Shads. Obviously, uh—Infinite can electrocute me with it. But that's all we know."

"Well I can repair it the best I can, but it's in pretty poor condition," he explained, and maybe he was purposefully avoiding meeting Sonic's gaze by overanalyzing the articulation of his fingers, but he'd never admit it. "It'd probably be safer to just strip it down and build up from scratch."

"That, uh, sounds kinda painful."

Tails frowned and glanced up to meet those big emerald eyes without thinking. _Fuck._ He quickly turned his head to look at the wall. If he looked at Sonic too long he might—fuck if he knew, have a mental breakdown or something. "You still feel sensation in it?"

Sonic fidgeted. "Yeah, I guess. It's weird. Kind of numb, but like—there's something there, y'know?"

"Interesting," he murmured. "Well, I don't wanna mess with it too much anyways. I'm not exactly sure how he created it, and you seem to have pretty good control over your motor functions. I don't wanna cause any permanent damage, especially if it'll hurt you."

"But you can fix it?"

Tails considered, glancing around the basement. "Probably. I bet they might have some pain meds or something to put you under, just for a few hours so I can work on it."

He made the fatal mistake of looking at Sonic, just as the hero beamed at him with his brilliant smile. "Awesome! I'm mostly just worried about taking away their control over it. I can deal with the, uh, dents and stuff.

"Right." Tails swallowed the knot in his throat, and he looked right at his brother for a few moments, feeling a little dizzy and overwhelmed. He took a small step back and found himself looking over the hedgehog's body, slumped casually on the stool. As if—as if he hadn't been missing for months. Presumed _dead_ for months.

His body was riddled in bruises and gashes and cuts. He looked a little thinner than Tails last remembered, which he figured he could attribute to months of imprisonment and food rations. Where the robot arm fused with his left shoulder, his skin looked especially irritated and puffy. And—and there was a massive, nasty scar, running right down the middle of his chest. The sight of it made Tails nauseous.

Sonic frowned, following his gaze to glance down at himself, before looking back at his little brother concernedly. "You okay, man?"

"No, yeah, it's just—" he inhaled to try and stabilize himself, "the—your scar."

That seemed to confuse the speedster for a moment, before he blinked and realization dawned on his face. And he looked kind of sad, now, but Tails just couldn't shake off his eyes, so green and bright and youthful. When he looked into Sonic's eyes it was like he was just a little kid again, meeting him for the first time, being invited to fly the Tornado for the first time ever and go on an adventure to defeat some crazy guy named Eggman.

"Right," Sonic finally said, with a slight flinch. He subconsciously ran a hand over the scar, still a little red and ugly against his fawn chest, despite it being months old already. "I'm fine now, y'know. It doesn't hurt."

But Tails' head felt like it was pounding at his temples, bursting at the seams. Filled with this thick fog of emotions, so congested it was painful and pressing so hard against his eyes that he could feel tears welling up. He struggled to make his vocal chords work, and when they finally did, his words came out horrible and quiet.

"I watched you die, Sonic."

And Sonic just looked absolutely devastated at that. Any of that guardedness in his face, any hint of a smile, instantly dissolved, and he stood up from the stool and stepped closer to Tails. "Oh, Chaos, bud. I'm so sorry."

He was shaking; biting the tip of his tongue to hold back whimpers. "I-I watched him kill you. For months I thought—"

"C'mere," his brother said, pulling him into his arms. And they stood there for a while, while Sonic let him cry into his neck. "I'm here now, 'kay? I didn't die. As—As soon as he warped us out of that junkyard he used that stupid ruby to stitch me back up. And he kept me there for a long time and he did— _terrible_ things to me, but I got out, and I found everyone again, and now I'm okay. I promise, kiddo."

Tails just nodded against his shoulder and didn't let go, not until his cries started to get smothered in his chest and he calmed down enough. But something still nagged him in the back of his mind.

He _did_ think Sonic had died. And that had been something that had plagued him since that wretched day, but—but what he almost said just now still lingered on the back of his tongue, a bitter flavor that trickled down his throat like poison.

 _I thought it was my fault._

* * *

Funnily enough, Gadget felt sort of tense. He knew he should've been fine, because everyone else seemed fine, and they were safe for now. Obviously things weren't perfect and he needed to accept that they probably never would be, but, well.

He felt guilty.

It was stupid, because the logical part of himself told him he didn't need to, he hadn't done anything wrong. But Infinite _—Zero—_ in a way felt like this added burden onto his conscious. He obviously wasn't in his right mind, if he didn't even remember him, so Gadget felt like all of that responsibility fell back on him, by default. He was close with Zero, once. He was the only one that knew, or at least accepted, the truth.

He felt like he didn't belong here.

Knothole was bustling with life, far more than back when it'd just been him and Tails and the others. But now Sonic the Hedgehog was here, back from the dead supposedly, along with hundreds of other rebels that lost their home in the flood. And they were all still recovering, but now they were conversing and eating barbecue with their friends around the massive pavilion in the center of town. The sun had long since set and everyone seemed to have settled down into a more comfortable mindset as well.

And then there was Gadget, the one person on the goddamn planet that ever had the audacity to defend Infinite's actions. Infinite, the mad tyrant that forced them all to seek refuge in this far-too-small town in the first place.

He saw Tails and Sonic leaving one of the houses, both looking equally tired and bruised. The kid looked particularly more tense, but Sonic was vaguely smiling, and they were too far away to hear but they looked like they were exchanging small talk. That was good. Tails deserved a little quiet small talk, out of everyone else here. He'd been through a lot, lately.

And, maybe, just maybe, Gadget felt a tiny pang of hurt at the sight. Because Tails had his brother again and they were happy. Tails was reunited with his old friends again. He was gonna get back to saving the planet, and as soon as that was over, they'd all resume their lives and Gadget would go back to college and they'd probably never see each other again.

 _('You aren't my brother, so stop acting like it!')_

Gadget clenched his jaw and gave the stranger handing him a paper plate of baked beans a plastic smile.

Maybe Tails would forgive him now. Because, as it was, Infinite _didn't_ kill Sonic. Therefore, Tails had no reason to hold a grudge against Gadget, right?

(But Infinite was still a coldhearted murderer. He still made him _think_ he killed Sonic, and he still held him captive for months. He still massacred millions of innocent people and decimated entire cities and—and ruined everyone's lives.)

" _Mon ami!_ "

He turned to the source of the voice probably faster than he should've, but whatever, he wasn't exactly in the brightest of moods. Gadget shoveled some beans into his mouth and smiled awkwardly as the coyote approached, hand-in-hand with his wife.

"I heard about what happened," Antoine said, studying Gadget strangely. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, doing his best to keep his tone light and easy. "It… was kinda scary. But I'm fine now."

Bunnie nodded. She scanned the giant crowd, looking a little weary. "I just hope we can last. We've only got so many rations and so much space."

"I'm sure it's only temporary," he told her. "Besides, all the big heroes are here now, right? They'll stop Dr. Eggman in no time, and then everything will be back to normal."

Antoine sighed and squeezed his spouse's hand. "I am not so sure. I don't think anything will ever be the same."

There was a scarily uncomfortable pause caught between the three, so Gadget was hasty to fill it with something again. No need to dwell on the bleakness of their situation.

"Uh, so how's Mighty been doing?"

Bunnie worried at her lip before speaking. "Um. He actually… ran away. Left a note sayin' he needed some time to clear his head."

More of that nasty guilt furrowed up in his stomach, and Gadget found himself glancing over to Tails again. The kid was talking with some friends, eating some fish and laughing and being himself. He wasn't going to take that news lightly. It—it'd probably crush him.

"Chaos," he muttered. "I just hope he can hold his own out there."

Bunnie smiled but it looked forced. "He's a tough guy."

"Right."

The couple continued to talk to him but Gadget was already tuning them out. Not out of malice, just something he couldn't help. There were voices bouncing around in his head, softly, discordantly, and it was making him tense. They told him he was a liar, he betrayed his one friend, he was a coward.

He grabbed his half-empty water bottle and took a big swig, washing out the thoughts that plagued him like a venomous smog. Maybe he could make it up to Tails—and the others. If he stopped just… being useless, sitting by on the sidelines, maybe they wouldn't all hate him so much.

(He almost wished he could go back in time. Tell Zero to spend the night in their dorm, instead, and watch a movie. Hold him close and promise to never let go.)

 _(Too late for that.)_

Gadget looked sharply to Bunnie and Antoine, and said bluntly, "We need to do something."

The rabbit blinked and laughed unsurely. "Well, I mean, sure."

"No, we just…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We aren't gonna save their friend or stop Dr. Eggman by just sitting around and hiding from the rest of the world. I think we should discuss a plan."

Bunnie looked a little sympathetic. "Absolutely, sugar. But I think we all need a moment to relax and breathe, alright? We can talk more 'bout that stuff tomorrow. In the meantime, go enjoy the food and make some new friends."

Gadget nearly refuted, because he couldn't just _sit still,_ knowing Infinite was still out their wreaking havoc. Knowing he could do something, because this _had_ to be his fault, it certainly wasn't Zero's, Zero would never willing do _any_ of this, Gadget had to save him to stave off something far worse from happening—

And then there was a hand on his shoulder, and Antoine was smiling delicately at him. Gadget took a deep breath, realizing he'd been trembling a little. "She is right, _mon ami._ Go enjoy yourself tonight."

"Alright," he said, robotically, if only to appease them. And Gadget did his best to dissolve into the crowd and just lose himself to the jubilant voices around him and the hickory smell of baked beans. The hours all melted together into a soothing balm of boundless laughter and the crackling bonfire and breaths laced with the scent of liquor, and he almost, just almost, convinced himself that maybe everything would turn out okay.

* * *

 **the gang's all together n sonic & tails finally reunited! but now infinite's got knux and chaos. that can't be good...**

 **lmk if u liked this one :)**


	16. colloquy

**this one was actually pretty fun 2 write. nice change of pace from the nonstop action lol**

* * *

 **XVI.**

 _colloquy (ˈkäləˌkwē)_

 _[noun]_

 _a discussion._

* * *

He'd always wanted to go sightseeing. To have the freedom to decide, to roam the world as he pleased and just bask in the plethora of culture and people and harmony. To taste foreign foods he'd never be able to find in the United Federation, or walk through towns completely opposite to the rigid skyscrapers of the metropolises and the smog-filled skies that seemed to follow him everywhere.

Ray was always more hesitant. No matter how much Mighty insisted on what a breathtaking experience it'd be to leave their congested little apartment and take a breath of fresh air, he always wavered by the front door. Dr. Eggman was probably to blame. Mighty couldn't remember a time when he _wasn't_ trying to fuck up the planet in some way or another.

And he couldn't really blame Ray for being scared. He opted to be a hermit and hide from the world, because it was what he knew, it was safe. No mad scientists or giant robots could hurt him when he was locked away in his bedroom.

But then Mighty would see that other guy—Sonic the Hedgehog—bearing that vibrant smile as he dashed down through streets, no more than a swash of blue across television screens broadcasting his valorous battles. He was fearless and brave and strong and he made Mighty want to be better. Even if he couldn't be a superhero like him, he still wanted to do something to help the world be a better place, too.

He convinced Ray of such, eventually, when Dr. Eggman disappeared for a while and everything felt more peaceful than it had in years. They moved out across the country to a small island just off the east coast and into a quaint little town called Knothole. It was the best change of pace Mighty could ask for, and it was even better to see Ray starting to break out of his shell.

And then Eggman returned and Sonic went missing and—and everything went to shit.

So Mighty vouched to do his best. He started working on the emerald tracker and he wasn't particularly good at it (his only real experience was hazy memories of high school textbooks on the Chaos Emeralds, and a few years of working in construction after he graduated) but it helped him sleep easier at night in spite of the distant sounds of explosions and gunshots. He was trying his best to keep his little brother safe and contribute to the resistance's cause, because there _had_ to be a resistance out there, just because Sonic was gone didn't mean they were completely alone.

It was a mistake, though.

A horrible, horrible mistake.

 _(Maybe if he'd just kept his fucking head down, Ray would still be here.)_

With a labored grunt, Mighty heaved himself up on top of the building. He stopped and sucked in some air, before treading forwards and sitting down on the edge of the roof, overlooking the city below.

Soleanna was beautiful, even when it was swarmed with robots. It was otherwise completely vacated, with its old brick roads torn up and several of the structures filling it crumbling at their foundations.

There was a river just straight ahead, cutting right through the city. Its calm waters glistened delicately in the early afternoon sunlight, such a gentle sight that it made Mighty sick with nostalgia of the days where he'd just take Ray out to the creek not ten minutes away from Knothole, and they'd splash around and laugh and sunburn their shoulders from their carelessness.

He sighed and leaned back, watching the clouds drift by.

Ray had told him, once, that he'd like to visit Soleanna someday. It wasn't particularly far from Knothole and his favorite thing to do every year was watch the news broadcasting the Festival of the Sun. He wanted to go to the festival, and watch all the dancers and boats and fireworks in person.

Mighty remembered this so distinctly because it had surprised him to hear. Ray had been getting better with his timidity but he still hardly strayed far from home. But now he was saying he wanted to travel to a different country, a place he'd never been to before?

Soleanna must've really been something. Before—before it was ruined, anyways.

"You would've loved this, pal," Mighty murmured under his breath, letting his eyes fall shut. He had this awful headache rotting in his head ever since… _that night,_ and some sleep could probably put a dent in it. Hell, this was the first time he felt somewhat relaxed in a quite while. It shouldn't have been taken for granted.

"Citizen, you are not permitted to be up there. If you do not come down immediately, your sentence will be worse."

Tension hitched up in his shoulders and he sat upright, gazing down to see a small group of Egg Pawns staring at him from below.

 _Fuck that._

Mighty huffed in mild irritation and hopped down, stomping in the face of one of the bots. The other two instantly panicked and blared out alarms, but he was swift enough to grab them both by the backs of their heads and conk them together. They fell to the ground in a lifeless heap, and Mighty pushed onward.

There was a fire raging in his fists. A ravenous urge to _do_ something, let it all out, tear everything apart and just _scream._ He clenched them as his eyes landed on some more drones off in the distance, standing guard in front of some regal-looking building.

He tore forwards, his vision blurring around the edges as he lost himself for a while, ripping them all apart piece by piece, wire by wire, relentless and brutal and powerful with each punch and kick he threw. Sweat dripped down his face and he almost wondered if some of them were tears.

He shelved those thoughts before they could get the better of him.

Eventually it all stopped, because there was nothing left to fight and he was just left standing there, alone, in a graveyard of circuitry and broken metal bits. The strange building loomed over him enticingly, though, and Mighty wiped his brow and decided to step inside, because _what the hell else did he have to lose._

It was dark inside. There was rusted technology and computer screens everywhere. The main console on the other side of the room was the only one actually online and operating, and it looked as though it had been recently abandoned from some of the Egg Pawns he'd probably, incidentally, just destroyed. He approached it with a veil of guardedness over his gaze, ready for more enemies to jump out and surprise him.

None did. He decided to lower his fists and shake off the tension in his shoulders; he looked up at the screen before him.

It read about information on some new security boost to where one of the Chaos Emeralds was located. Apparently Dr. Eggman just repaired an abandoned machine he'd used once, many years ago.

The document was vague enough that it never said the actual name of the thing and only alluded to it in its report. It did, however, provide coordinates to where the emerald and presumed guard dog was. Because that's what this thing was—the attached pictures told Mighty as much.

He had no idea how big it was because it was really just blueprints and schematics and other techno babble written on the margins of the images that he couldn't even begin to decipher, but it looked menacing enough. It was a robot dog, and it supposedly had just gotten several new upgrades to its arsenal.

That fieriness itched beneath Mighty's knuckles again as he skimmed through the documents.

He really needed to blow off some steam for a bit and, hey, he was riding solo now, so it wasn't like there was any risk of collateral damage. Not like the last time he faced off with Eggman's forces, anyways.

(Last time there was _too much_ collateral damage. Last time he'd fucked up too badly. Ruined everything.)

Besides, maybe Tails was right. Mighty wasn't helping anybody by just moping around and feeling sorry for himself.

He was tired of sitting on the sidelines and settling for doing the best he could, being some supporting character for the heroes. It was time to actually do something and take action and knock Eggman and that fucking jackal down a peg.

Mighty clenched his fists, and his nails dug hard enough into his palms to scar.

* * *

Amy Rose most certainly did not drink under any circumstances—well, maybe with some exceptions, sure, but never enough to even feel slightly tipsy. It was just never something that appealed to her, and maybe some would call her prudish or persnickety for someone like herself (an adventurous young adult), but alcohol was always just different. Why would she purposefully want to wreck her liver like that? Fuck herself over with alcoholism?

That begged the current question wracking her brain though: why did she feel like she'd just woken up to the worst hangover on the planet?

She groaned, a long and heavy thing that poured out of her with the nasty flavor of morning breath, and sat up in bed. It was late morning, which was even more off-putting, because Amy _always_ made a point to be up by nine at the latest. Right now, it was almost noon.

Her head ached incredibly so and it was enough to stop her from slipping out of bed, and instead to slacken her shoulders and raise her hands to her temples. It felt like her brains were boiling inside her skull, which only trapped the raging heat inside of her. She felt nauseas; like she didn't have any control. The past few days had been an absolute blur and she had nothing to make of them except for headaches and tears and darkness.

The sun glimmered through the window blinds to her left, and she squinted at it curiously.

Knothole. Right; they've been staying here a few days, because…

HQ. It—It had been destroyed, and…

 _—and—_

She remembered why she hadn't really moved from her spot since they got here and she first laid under the covers. They provided a security that nothing else could, a wall to block everything out and let her mind fall silent. An empty chasm for her to scream and cry out her frustrations because what the fuck was she supposed to _do._

Knuckles was gone. He was—Infinite—who even _knew_ what they were doing to him.

The door squeaked open and a pair of blue ears peeked around the corner, almost hesitant.

"Hey," came his voice, a few beats later. Sonic stepped into the room. "How are you doing?"

Amy rubbed her eyes and flopped back against the pillow. A heat rose up her face as she suddenly was permeably aware of how red and puffy her eyes were, and the thickness in her throat; her messy quills; the fact that she hadn't spoken to anybody in days.

"Could be better," she muttered. Sonic visibly slumped.

"We're, uh. Why don't you come with me over to Sally's? We're holding a meeting."

She drew her brows together as she looked back at him. "A meeting?"

He smiled and shrugged a bit uncertainly. "Well, yeah. We need a game plan. We've got a water god and an echidna that need saving, and everyone's taken a little breather, so I think we're ready to get back into action, don't ya'?"

The way he looked at her, so genuine and considerate, with a definitive tenderness retained in his gaze because he _knew,_ he knew how hard this had hit her and how much she was grieving, warmed Amy's heart. She looked him over, blinking away the sleep in her eyes. Her lips twitched as she locked onto his arm—the robot one, in particular.

"I like the upgrade," she settled on, after taking a pause to find something to say.

Sonic's grin widened and he showed it off for her, flexing his joints and wiggling his fingers. It moved more fluidly than before, almost gracefully, and all of the cracks and dents were completely absent. It seemed stronger; somewhat more natural on him, in a strange sort of way—as if a shiny, cybernetic arm could look natural on anybody. But its new coat of paint—a brilliant red that shimmered in the incandescent light, certainly looked better than that bleak, murky purple it once donned.

"Me too. Tails fixed it up for me. He's a wizard."

"Tell me about it," she said, willing the strength to climb out of bed. Her knees just nearly buckled beneath her—which could probably _(definitely)_ be attributed to her short-lived streak of laying in bed and isolating herself for days—but she regained her balance and joined the speedster in the doorway without much more fault. She decided then that she should probably carry the conversation before he started getting too worried about the remnants of wateriness in her tone. "... How is everything with you guys?"

And he looked as chipper as ever despite her, but there was a brief, fleeting moment where there was almost something worrisome in his eyes. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

Amy frowned as he closed the door behind them and they started down the trail towards Sally's house. "Sonic, we haven't seen him in months."

"He's…" he maintained his smile but it looked a little tight, "He's doin' great, Ames, really. That first night he was pretty emotional, but he's acting completely normal now. He'd tell me if something was bothering him, I'm sure."

She considered that for a moment and thought, _yes, they're brothers, of course they would talk about that kind of stuff,_ but then that was immediately followed by a remembrance of Sonic's track record with bottling up his feelings, and how much Tails has learned from his mannerisms and habits, no matter how unhealthy, and thought, _no, probably not, they're idiots._

But maybe that wasn't her place to intrude.

"Just check up on him every now and then," Amy decided on, cautious with her words. The hero eyed her weirdly like he wasn't expecting that piece of advice, before he just shrugged and kept quiet because they'd reached their destination, anyways.

Sally's house was a grandiose thing—compared to the rest of Knothole, that is. It was fancy enough to adorn pearly white pillars and tall glass windows along its walls. The interior was boastful, with a huge open living space and a large dining table right in the center. All of the big players were already sat around it and talking amongst one another, probably waiting for this little meeting of theirs to commence.

Amy followed Sonic around the table, and they took the remaining two empty seats, sandwiched between Rouge and Shadow. Said ultimate lifeform exchanged a poignant glance with his fiancé, as if they managed to condense an entire conversation into three seconds of eye contact, before he cleared his throat and stood up from his seat.

"So, we've all been doing some discussing over the past few days," he began, and the room fell appropriately silent. Shadow could make himself assertive when he wanted—not in a menacing or cruel sort of way, but just in the fashion that made one clamp their mouth shut because he clearly knew what he was doing. Amy always admired that unabashed boldness about him, in a way.

He fiddled a bit with his glove cuffs, pressing his lips together like he was probably trying to figure out where the hell to start, which was understandable, everything just seemed to be _a lot,_ lately.

"We have a few problems on our hands," he settled on. "The major one is that Infinite now holds the advantage over us. Not only does he have Chaos, which can easily be turned into a weapon as some of us learned several years ago, but he holds one of ours hostage. Our other issue is that upon returning to HQ, we found the Master Emerald to be completely shattered; we collected the shards but we don't know if it's possible to reassemble them."

Rouge frowned and considered this. "Well, it must be possible. I've witnessed Knuckles repair it in the past, no problem."

"That's all fine and dandy," Sonic said, leaning back in his seat, "except for the fact that Knux is kinda out of the picture, at the moment."

"So we go save him," Bunnie replied.

"Not that simple," cut in Shadow. "Again, we're at a disadvantage. We don't even know where they're keeping Knuckles."

Tails straightened in his chair; his namesakes swished anxiously behind him. "What about the emeralds? Couldn't we just use them to warp to him, or repair the Master?"

"The kid's right. It's worth a shot," Vector shrugged.

From beside him, Espio crossed his arms; there was a certain carefulness to the action, a tenderness to touching the wound on his chest. "Chaos Controlling ourselves to Knuckles could be a death sentence, for all we know."

Sonic furrowed his brows. "Maybe that's a risk we should be willing to take. He could be in danger right now—"

"And by doing that we'll inevitably put both ourselves in danger, and him more so," Shadow said, a finality in his tone. "We don't start a rescue mission until we have a concrete plan that guarantees success. In the meantime, Tails is probably right. Finding the rest of the Chaos Emeralds can't do us any harm."

"You think we can repair the Master Emerald with them, though? We won't even be able to get the full set. Eggman's still got, like, two," Rouge reminded them.

Silver began twirling around his empty coffee mug in the air, and he reeked of something he was quickly growing weary of masking—jadedness, or maybe just an annoyance with the fact that they were all sitting around and talking instead of doing something. "Might as well try it. Besides, if we have the emeralds, that means Eggman doesn't."

Sally tensed in her seat. "Won't that also just paint a big target on our backs?"

There was a quick beat that passed through them all, heavy with anxiety, and Shadow turned to look at her; scan her features. He was quiet for a moment, before he said, "We already have two emeralds of our own. Infinite has already attacked Knothole a few days ago, as well. If they wanted to attack us again, I think they'd already have done it."

"But if we get three more emeralds, that changes things," Tails murmured, and he spoke softly and kept his gaze trained on his lap but there was a slight change to him. He looked scared, now. "Five is a _hell_ of a lot more desirable than two, especially when it means obtaining those gives Eggman—all seven."

Espio grimaced. "He's right. We can't risk the effort of finding the rest of them, just to spoon-feed them to the doctor."

"Or maybe that'll be beneficial," Silver said, and he still only seemed halfway tuned into this conversation as he continued spinning the mug around idly. "At least it'll draw them out of hiding."

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "Are we sure that we want something like that night at HQ to happen again? Just in the hopes that _maybe_ it'll help us find Knuckles?"

"Or what happened here," Gadget whispered, the first thing he'd said since Amy and Sonic had shown up here. He was strangely withdrawn, and his shoulders were risen as he hugged himself, like he might just fall apart completely if he tried to relax. Amy studied him briefly and he seemed to suddenly grow aware of the fact that she was doing so, before he pointedly evaded her gaze. _Weird._

"You guys are acting like we're just gonna be sitting ducks once we get all the emeralds," Sonic uttered, raising a brow as he scanned the group. "I dunno about you, but as soon as we've got the firepower I'm gonna be taking the fight to them."

Tails made a face at that, almost a scowl or a flinch, and said, "Okay, fighting aside, I think we should still be prioritizing the M.E.. It's probably our only chance at sealing away Chaos again."

"Which we can't do without Knuckles," Sonic shot back.

And, yeah, now it was just a deep, ugly scowl. "I just think we should have a plan on how to deal with the _literal god_ before we rush Eggman's forces, guns blazing. It's also probably not healthy for the planet to just, _not_ have the Master Emerald."

Sonic threw his arms up. "What do you suggest we do, man? All we have is some green shards and a few leads on where the Chaos Emeralds are. That's it. We need to do _something._ "

"We need to prepare. We need a _contingency plan._ "

"I get that you're worried, Tails, but we're kinda on a time crunch here—"

"We can't just—"

" _Guys._ " And the hostility split into two, all eyes landing on Amy as she exhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes shut, before peeling them back open and forcing down the swell of sharp emotions that surged up the back of her throat, a burning rush like the hastiness of bile in a morning hangover.

Tails dropped his gaze to glare at the table, and Sonic's own heated look fell into something that of remorse.

She tried to breathe in normally. The air struggled down her throat, like she was forcing it down unwillingly. "… I can do it."

Shadow cocked his head, the embodiment of serenity amongst the chaos; a usual position one would find him in. "Do what, exactly?"

"Fix it." She swallowed. "The Master Emerald. Knuckles has been training me in utilizing Chaos Energy—connecting with it—for months. I can try to repair the emerald."

"Cool, great." Sonic licked his lips and shot an uneasy glance at Tails, who was still glowering at the table, stewing away in his thoughts. "Uh, in the meantime, why don't we start gathering up the rest of the posse?"

They all looked at him weirdly.

He deadpanned, "The Chaos Emeralds, guys."

"Right," Silver nodded. His mug was now back on top of the table, untouched. He sat rigid, like whatever that little sibling squabble was had been enough to cease the boredom that once consumed him.

"Maybe we could also… steal Eggman's, while we're at it?" Rouge suggested. She quickly caught onto the skepticism thrown her way, and explained. "Look, he's gotta be pretty preoccupied between Chaos and Knuckie. And the last thing he'd expect is for us to go after the emeralds, instead of saving our friend. We actually have an idea of where they are, anyways."

Antoine lit up and smiled. "Yes! Young Tails finished up that tracker last night."

Amy quirked a brow and stared at the teen curiously. He was currently deeply fixated on a miniscule scratch in the wooden tabletop, although his ears twitched at the sound of his name. The kid really was a wizard, between giving Sonic a practically brand new arm and making an emerald tracker in the span of a couple days.

"Well, where are they?" Vector asked, looking to the kit expectantly.

Tails shifted in his seat, not making any direct eye contact with anyone. "I couldn't pinpoint their locations too specifically, but I got some general locations. There's one in Chun-nan, one over by Red Mountain, and one by Seaside Hill. Then there's one over in Chemical Plant, obviously Eggman's. And—the last emerald's just a little to the east of Soleanna, I think, in the middle of the desert, but I'm assuming that's also in Eggman's possession because Shadow was telling me he had a lot of reinforcements in that area. I dunno how guarded it'll be, but we should definitely be wary if we go."

"I agree with Rouge," Shadow said. "I think we should get all of them. If we all split up and gather them simultaneously, then the doctor won't even have enough time to counteract us before we already have them all."

Tails lifted his gaze to meet the ebony hedgehog's. "And then what?"

He ran a hand through his quills. "Then… we hope for the best. I don't know."

"And you all are comfortable with this plan?" the teen pressed, searching all of their faces.

Sally shrugged. "It's probably our best chance. Infinite and Dr. Eggman already know where we are, or will know soon enough. If anything, maybe the Chaos Emeralds will give us some extra security."

Amy nodded, and turned to look between Sonic and Shadow. "Where'd you put the M.E. shards?"

"The basement in this house, actually," the speedster said. "It was the biggest, nicest one."

"Okay," she responded, automatically, making to get up and take her leave. "I'm gonna go see what I can do, now. You guys can figure out how to divide and conquer with the emeralds."

"Actually, um."

Silence swept over the room as they all turned to the source of the voice, and it was that wolf again, Gadget. He looked jumpy and tense and reluctant to speak in the first place. He rubbed the back of his neck, as though contemplating whether he should even continue or not. The war in his head seemed to eventually give out.

"There's… something I think I need to say," he started, tripping over his words. "Just—Just so everyone's aware. So that we're on the same page, I guess."

Gadget rose from his seat and puffed out his chest, fists clenched at his sides, as he braced himself.

* * *

If there was anything he could compare this moment to, like a memory or a feeling or whatever, it was most definitely that awful, twisting sensation he'd always felt back in high school, whenever the teacher called on him and he could feel the entire classroom watching him, waiting with bated breath to see what answer he was going to conjure because obviously he had no idea what was going on, and there was just this imminent feeling whirling around inside of him because he just _knew_ that this could only end in disaster.

But, well. There was no going back now. Just had to rip of the band-aid and get it over with, right?

Gadget absorbed the silence for a moment. Reveled in it. In the innocence of their gazes, the vague confusion, because this could very well end with them all— _despising_ him, kicking him out, who even knew.

"I… knew him," is what he ended up saying, his tongue like cotton in his mouth and his head sort of spinning. It didn't seem to clear up the confusion in the slightest, though, so he reluctantly elaborated. "Uh, Infinite, I mean. We knew each other, before. Before everything."

He could see Tails, out of the corner of his eye, sat beside him, fidgeting in his seat. He could see the grimness etched into his features; the dread. It made Gadget dizzy to think about, because it just blindsided him with memories of red and flames and rubble and an _innocent fucking kid losing his life, his neck broken like it was nothing—_

"What do you mean, you knew each other?" When Gadget blinked back into reality he made the brilliant discovery of this voice belonging to Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate lifeform that could snap him in half like a twig. There was a terseness in his tone that made him tense up even more than he already was.

For a passing moment, the wolf just chewed his lip and chose his words carefully. "We, uh, we dated. We went to—we were roommates. He was majoring in physics. His name was Zero, and he was kind and funny and a little eccentric but so passionate and caring. And he—he never would've done _any_ of this, what Infinite has done. Not in a million years."

Oddly enough, Sonic was the one staring directly at Gadget, with wide eyes and a strange softness to his features. Not like the deepening confusion or the flickers of anger seen across the rest of them. Gadget almost found a solace in it—he elected to focus on Sonic's genuine surprise and nearly sympathetic look instead of everything else.

"And," he gulped, "and I'm not, like, saying this to redeem Infinite or something. I know that whether Zero is in control of himself or not anymore, that it doesn't change the fact that he's done horrible things, regardless. I-I'm just… I hope you guys keep it in mind. He's not this cold-blooded murderer—not entirely. Deep down, somewhere in there, he's a genuinely good guy. I swear my life on it."

Nobody really said anything for a few seconds.

Then Amy Rose turned on her heel and left the room without a word.

The silence thickened into something intensely more uncomfortable than before, and Gadget felt a pang of guilt in his stomach that didn't sit well with him.

"Thank you for… telling us," Shadow finally said, and he looked rigid as he did so. On edge. "It's something to keep in mind, I suppose. But for now we should really focus on the Master Emerald and retrieving the other emeralds."

That seemed to kick-start things back into working order. More people started standing up and heading out, a small handful tailing after wherever Amy went off to. And Gadget just lingered behind until he was all alone, standing before an empty table, listening to the ghosts of his words and trying to ignore the way they clawed at his temples like the phantoms that hadn't stopped chasing him since he'd fled a dorm room filled with the blood of his friends, back in Westopolis.

* * *

"Hey, Ames?"

There was no reaction. Sonic wavered at the base of the stairs, Silver just behind him, as they both stared at her back with slight concern. She was faced away from them, sat in the middle of the basement, the shards of the Master Emerald laid out before her. Sonic locked his jaw.

"Amy?" Silver tried, raising his voice a little more. "You alright?"

She jostled, suddenly, and gradually shifted until she was turned around to face them. She looked—drained. Sad.

"I can't do it," she said, and Sonic crossed his arms, this defensive, automatic thing to try and reel in the messy, muddled feelings that slithered up his chest at the sound of her voice. She almost looked on the verge of tears and Sonic was _not_ about to lose his cool right now, not when she needed stability more than anything.

He carefully approached her, before kneeling beside her and hazarding a glance to the discarded M.E. fragments. "What do you mean?"

"I don't—I—I'm not him. I can't do it."

And he decided to just give her a smile, because she probably needed to see it. "Hey, that's fine, we'll figure it out. Why don't you come with us, help us find the emeralds?"

"You don't understand," Amy sighed, digging the heels of her palms against her face. "I'm the only one out of all of us that even has a _chance_ in fixing it. If I can't do it, then we're screwed."

Silver leaned against the railing of the stairs. "Is there any way the emeralds could help out? Maybe the extra energy could make it easier on you."

Sonic nodded because _yes, at least it was something,_ before turning back to the pink hedgehog to await her response. She contemplated for a moment, wringing her hands anxiously.

"I guess we could try."

He grinned. "Yeah, of course. Let's just worry about getting all of them for now. They're, like, miracle gems or somethin', right? They're bound to be useful somehow." He started to help her to her feet, before Silver narrowed his eyes at them.

"Should we put the M.E. in a… more secure location than the middle of the floor, while we're gone?" the psychic wondered, and Amy blinked owlishly before shaking her head.

"Right, yeah. That's probably a good idea."

Sonic and Silver eyed her briefly, before turning to head back upstairs, as she crouched down to scoop up all of the shards and place them back in the box she'd gotten them out of, tucked safely in the corner of the basement—a completely inconspicuous spot.

She cradled the pieces in her arms, the coolness of their touch slightly worrisome, because she was so accustomed to the natural warmth that constantly wafted off of the stone, a lingering presence of its continuous flow of energy. As she started to cross the room towards the box, though, her vision turned a little blotchy as she grew light-headed. It was probably just a head rush, or maybe just her exhaustion from—

 _(—there was a glimpse, sharp as it sliced through her vision, of matted red dreadlocks and wide violet eyes. He was so angry, he was screaming, through his gritted fangs, clutching the bars of his cell. Something unseen screeched, the guttural roar of a beast, and he was begging someone to stop, stop_ hurting it, _please,_ you don't know what you're doing _—)_

Amy gasped for air. She was on the ground, the emerald shards strewn all around her.

Sonic called, from somewhere at the top of the stairs, "Ames, what was that? You good?"

 _What was that?_ A vision? Her fingertips tingled with the residue of Chaos Energy, and it left this wispy sensation that spread up her palms and wrists in a disturbing, rolling motion. She shuddered involuntarily, glancing at all of the shards. Was it—was the emerald trying to send her a message?

She cleared her throat, gathering all of the shards again and wobbling back onto her feet. "Y-Yeah! I just tripped, I'm fine."

"'Kay!"

Amy blinked rapidly, her vision still a little spotty as if blinded by a camera's flash, except she could still see splotches of _red fur_ and _iron bars,_ so foreign and strange but also so _close,_ like if she just closed her eyes and reached out she could hold Knuckles' hand.

Sonic yelled down, again, "Ames, you comin'?"

It stirred her from her train of thought, and reluctantly, Amy stowed the fragments away in the box, locked it, and rushed back upstairs, trying fruitlessly to shake off the vexing feeling in her stomach.

But it never quite faded.

* * *

 **ohoho,, a kinda boring dialogue-heavy but Important chapter. mighty's off in soleanna lmao, tensions are rising within the resistance, gadget made his confession, and amy's having weird visions now? hmmmm**

 **(also i'm not really sure when the next update will be, bc i've been procrastinating my summer assignments and school starts in a few weeks so i rly gotta concentrate on that stuff. stay tuned, tho!)**


	17. dread

**i lived, bitch**

 **holy SHIT im so sorry this one took so long. life's been a trainwreck lately between some family issues and school starting up,,, it's junior year. im dying. please save me oh god**

 **also: please excuse any typos / grammar errors haha. probably shouldve dedicated more time into editing but i was just rly anxious to finally post. lol enjoy, this one's _long_**

* * *

 **XVII.**

 _dread (dred)_

 _[noun]_

 _great fear or apprehension._

* * *

He couldn't sleep.

Which, really, was a strange concept to consider in itself because all he'd come to know lately was a dark cell and that constant, grating noise in the other room, and iron bars that taunted him endlessly. He didn't know at this point if it had only been a few hours or several days; just that he was stuck here for all of it, with nothing to do but drown in his own hurricane of bad thoughts and listen to the guttural screeches of Chaos, too far away for him to do anything to help it.

Maybe this was a mistake. _Maybe,_ he thought, delirious with exhaustion and the ache in each bone that assembled his slumped body, _all I've done is set myself up to be a martyr._

He came here as a hostage of the enemy, willingly, of his own volition, because at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Infinite was going to take Chaos one way or another, and Knuckles didn't trust anybody else to go along but himself. He needed to ensure no harm or agitation would come to the god—not after what happened all those years ago, in Station Square. Plus, if it wasn't him, it would've been Sonic, and he didn't think he could bear the thought of losing his friend again, after he had just found freedom.

But Knuckles hadn't been doing what he came here to do. Infinite simply threw him into this cell, hooked up to some technology that severed his link to all the rest of the Chaos energy in the world, no access to the emeralds or any other Chaos users. All he had was this thin, weathered connection to Chaos, itself, just in the other room, being tortured like a lab rat. The only reason Knuckles still felt linked to it at all was probably due to their close proximity—and the wildly fluctuating energy it was emitting.

Chaos' screams were driving him mad. He'd given up yelling hours ago, after his throat felt too raw and his lips too dry. He had shaken the bars relentlessly, punched each wall till they were battered with dents, screamed at the badniks that scanned him over every ten minutes, all utterly impartial to his anguish.

"You're hurting it!" he had cried, pressing his face to the bars. " _Stop!_ You don't know what the fuck you're doing!"

Infinite seemed not the least interested by his claims, though. He hadn't seen him since the jackal first discovered their hideout on Angel Island, and taken him captive in the first place. After so much ceaseless shouting, Knuckles just grew too tired.

 _(—except he still couldn't sleep. Chaos' screams were so loud, and they wouldn't stop, and it was so close to Knuckles that he could feel its pain, deep in his chest, ripping him apart piece by piece while Infinite ruthlessly toyed with it like this was all some sick game—)_

He thought, for a brief, fleeting second, that he saw Amy. Just an insignificant flash of pink in his vision, with her bright green eyes and her tender touch, reaching out to him, desperately, trying to pull him out. His heart ached at the thought, as he slid further down against the cold metal wall pressed to his back.

He wished more than anything that she was here. Not to suffer alongside him, but just so he could tell her how sorry he was for being such an idiot. They just—they'd just kept dancing around this _thing_ for months, years, and it hadn't led anywhere yet because they were too scared to let it happen. And maybe that was just Knuckles' fault, because he didn't know how to handle relationships, let alone romance, and he just didn't want to fuck it all up, but maybe now it was too late, and he was going to rot in this cell for the rest of his life, too cowardly to just talk to her like a normal person.

As he inhaled, his lungs burned, a deep, smoldering sensation deep inside of himself that he didn't think he'd ever be able to shake.

 _(So much time. All wasted. A fool. Too scared—too scared to do anything except hide on his island and push them all away, and now it was too late. Too late. Too late.)_

"Echidna."

Knuckles gasped, shaking himself and righting his posture. The dark silhouette of long, flowing hair and dangerous claws loomed just outside his cell. He caught the terrible sight of that sickly, glowing yellow eye, glaring at him like he wanted to slaughter Knuckles right there.

The jackal crossed his arms, that calculating, distant expression ever present through his mask. "Chaos is… not taking very well to our treatment. I need you to placate it."

Knuckles sneered. "Maybe if you left it the hell alone, it wouldn't be so upset in the first place."

Talons curled around the bars abruptly, enough to rattle them and make the guardian jump from his position, sitting in the farthest corner of the cell. He didn't think he ever hated anybody as much as he did Infinite.

"Can you calm it down?" the tyrant hissed, each word drenched in a viscous venom. "Because if not, we can always continue our experiments as is. Don't think we haven't heard your pitiful cries."

Grimacing, Knuckles brought his hands to his temples. Chaos sounded less irritable now, its screeches reduced to low, pained groans, likely because its assailant was currently talking to Knuckles instead. But, regardless, he needed to get Infinite to back off before things got worse; before Chaos snapped.

"I can," he settled on, setting his jaw and attempting to swallow his own anger. He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining Amy by his side, holding his hand, telling him to take a deep breath. "I can, just take me to it."

"Excellent," Infinite leered, prying open the door. Knuckles basked in the instant reprieve from whatever technology they were using to muffle all Chaos activity inside the cell. It felt like a breath of fresh air. "Follow me, then."

* * *

Knothole lapsed into a few hours of disarray, which was expected, because a lot was going on. They were strategizing, and there were a lot of factors to consider, and the town was simply so overcrowded at this point, between its original inhabitants and the resistance-refugees, that it was impossible to find whoever was needed for anything.

A lot of it was calming people down, after Chaos' outburst and Infinite's two recent appearances. A lot of it was convincing people to actually volunteer to go scout for emeralds. They already planned on sending out their strongest fighters to tackle the two emeralds in the empire's possession, but that still left three more that were just _out there,_ in the world, supposedly hidden from public eye.

After Sally made an announcement about this new mission in the communal area by the bonfire, the pavilion exploded with questions and people wriggling through the crowd to find their friends and family and discuss what they should do, if they should help or stay behind, because to be frank, doing _anything_ seemed like a death sentence, after everything.

Silver was lucky enough to find someone he was hoping to find, as he squeezed around the perimeter and scanned for any telltale signs of his friends. He instantly grabbed his companion's shoulder and pulled him off to the side, where they could have some privacy.

Sonic frowned at him as they huddled around the side of one of the houses. "What's up? Something wrong?"

"I've just—" Silver leaned against the wall and screwed his eyes shut. "I've been doing some thinking. It's not adding up."

"What's not adding up?"

"The emerald." The psychic crossed his arms. "It's already been shattered, right? It's just a couple of gray shards now. The actual Chaos inside it has been released."

Sonic's frown deepened. "Yeah, sure."

"Except, that's not how it should've gone, right?" Silver pressed, and he felt so jumpy, so anxious, now that he was voicing this and it felt so much more real. "When—When I was in the future, and I saw the world completely wrecked by Infinite, and the Null was there, I had thought—I thought that was the Master Emerald. Like, that ruby-virus or whatever had forced the emerald to collapse and it created the Null from all that negative energy, right?"

Sonic furrowed his brows, bewilderment flickering through his eyes like he was finally catching his drift.

Silver waved his hands around frantically, regardless, because he was kind of very concerned. "So why hasn't that happened? Chaos broke out, sure, but there's no Null."

"Uh," he swallowed. "That… would be a very good question to ask the echidna expert, except, he isn't here."

The younger hedgehog started pacing, scratching his quills, contemplating. "I've been driving myself crazy thinking about it. Obviously, we were wrong. It's caused by something else. But—what? Chaos itself? The rest of the emeralds? The Phantom Ruby? But that wouldn't make sense because Infinite definitely still had the ruby when I saw him in the future, but I dunno, the other two are plausible I guess. Are the Chaos Emeralds strong enough to even cause that? How would _Chaos_ be able to cause it? The ruby infection? I don't—"

"Silv," Sonic said, gripping his shoulders and halting his frantic pacing. "You gotta chill out, okay? We're gonna figure this out, one step at a time."

"We need to be really frickin' careful, Sonic. If we—if we mess up, if Infinite wins—"

"He's _not_ gonna win," the speedster cut in, and he sounded so absolutely confident that it was kind of scary. Silver knew how arrogant he could get sometimes. He needed to understand the gravity of this situation.

"What if—what if it's inevitable?" Silver whispered, his eyes wide and grim. "The—The Null, and Infinite winning? What I saw, what if there's nothing we can do?"

Sonic raked his fingers through his quills, and he hesitated for a fleeting moment, his gaze foggy and unfixed, before he regained his composure. "You can't let yourself worry like this, man. We just need to do what we can. We'll get the emeralds, save Knux, and go all super on 'em before they even know what's hit 'em."

Silver chewed his lip. "I just think… we don't know what's going to cause it, you know? It could be anything. It could be something one of _us_ accidently causes. It could be something _they_ do if we're not fast enough. We just—we need to be careful."

"I know," Sonic told him, locking his jaw, and for once his guarded confidence wavered, his voice low and critical. "We will."

* * *

Tails found him in the workshop—or, the pseudo-workshop, which was really just the basement of the D'Coolettes' house, the same one he repaired Sonic's arm in.

Gadget was lost in thought, sitting on the stool by the counter as he gazed at the emerald tracker sitting idly atop it. He skimmed over some of the scribbled notes Tails had taken and fiddled with the antennae on the tablet for a few seconds, before the fox, himself, got close enough for him to notice, and he jumped out of his stupor.

They shared a long, heavy glance, filled with an unreasonable amount of tension that made Tails' chest ache. He supposed they were on good terms now, but that didn't erase their argument. It didn't erase the fact that he shut Gadget out, he yelled at him, he almost let him die because he was too preoccupied with being mad to notice Infinite had shown up until it was too late.

(And then they lost Ray, and then Mighty—and Gadget, he had looked so scared, so broken, as Infinite jeered at him and mocked him for _ever_ thinking he was capable of love—)

"Do you think they hate me?"

Tails shuddered and blinked, squaring his shoulders as he locked eyes with the wolf. Gadget was slumped in his seat, and at a glance he seemed fine, but there was something hollow in his gaze if he squinted hard enough.

He licked his lips. "No. What do you mean?"

Gadget shook his head. "Don't tell me you couldn't feel the awkwardness in that room when I—when I told them. How they all… they looked at me like I was a stranger, and I know, I barely know any of you, but—but it's like I'm a liability now, isn't it? Whether they don't trust me at all, or whether they're gonna use me as bait for him, I don't know, but—"

"That's not it at all, Gadget," he said, firm, a large pit burrowing itself into his stomach. "I think—I think it probably threw a lot of people off guard to hear that you used to have a close relationship with him. But these guys—Sonic, Shadow, Amy, all of them, they would _never_ cast you out. I swear."

Gadget didn't seem so sure. "But Amy, she looked so…"

"She's—going through a lot, right now," Tails said, grimacing. "Knuckles is important to all of us, but it's definitely hit her the hardest. But that's not about you, it's about Infinite. I mean," he smiled, this sort of fake, bitter thing, trying to do anything to lighten the mood because he was growing really sick of the sadness that followed him everywhere, like a thick layer of dust coating every wall. "Look at Shadow. He's engaged to Sonic, but when we first met him, all those years ago? He was trying to _kill_ Sonic. And yet, today? I'd trust him with my life."

Something flashed in Gadget's eyes, like he was recalling those news reports of Prison Island and the ARK.

Tails studied him for a moment. "I don't—I don't necessarily mean to say _Infinite_ will ever be redeemable, because we just don't really know what his deal is. If he was brainwashed or if he's doing this of his own free will—"

"He's not."

"I—I know, we just—we don't _know,_ Gadget." He inhaled deeply. "But I believe you, I do; I'm sure he used to be a great guy. I'm just saying… Don't think we're all just gonna throw you out onto the street because you used to be his boyfriend. We've met worse people, trust me."

Gadget smiled, faintly, and he sniffed. "Thank you. And I'm—I'm sorry for, like, overwhelming you. I know Infinite has done horrible things, I was just so… desperate to get everyone to hear me out, you know?"

"I'm sorry I lashed out," Tails said. "It wasn't fair to you to load all of that guilt on your shoulders."

"It's okay, don't worry."

Tails hesitated, before smiling awkwardly and striding across the room to a countertop and lifting up a device. It looked like a simple metal bracelet, with a red sensor on the inside and a manual switch on the side. He brought it back over to the red wolf.

"So, I actually came down here to show this to you," he said, holding it out for Gadget to inspect it. "It's like a grappling hook. Here, it's pretty simple to use, just…" He helped clip it onto the cuff of his left glove, and demonstrated the controls. "I figured—it could come in handy, I guess. I dunno."

Gadget grinned widely and ran his fingers over the contraption. "I love it. Thanks."

A pause drifted between them, before Gadget slipped off the stool and started heading towards the stairs. He turned back to look at the teenager, pressing his lips together into a thin line as he gestured awkwardly over his shoulder.

"We should get going, right? We're gonna be leaving soon."

Tails nodded and went to grab the emerald tracker before heading after his friend. Gadget was already starting to head back up, but then Tails' heart strained a little, with guilt, worry, some deeply buried pain he still hadn't dug up yet since he was in a junkyard and Sonic's eyes glazed over and he was left helpless beneath the debris, unable to do anything but feel sorry for himself.

"Hey, Gadget," he called out, thoughtlessly, and he flinched when the wolf stopped and turned back around to look at him. "I, uh. I just wanted to, I guess…" There was too much stress floating around in his head, making his skull feel tight, and he didn't really know how to piece together what he wanted to say. Gadget watched him curiously.

After a few seconds of floundering for words, Tails just clamped his mouth shut because his eyes were starting to burn and he _really_ didn't want to start crying. Instead, he decided to approach Gadget and meet him in a hug. The wolf faltered only briefly, before he felt warm arms wrap around him and pull him in, closer.

"Be safe, okay, kid?" Gadget murmured into his ear.

Tails nodded against his shoulder, gritting his teeth to force down the tidal wave of emotions surging up his throat. "Yeah. You too."

They could've broken away there, and headed back outside to meet with the others. But Tails didn't feel ready to do that yet, so he curled his fingers into Gadget's back and they held each other for just a little longer, until they were both able enough to catch their breaths.

* * *

Sonic didn't know if he knew the last time he'd felt pure delight like this. But as he grazed his organic fingers along the surface of the Tornado, his sneakers dusted with sand and the sea breeze tousling his quills, a bright smile stretched across his face and he rocked on his heels like an excited child.

"This is amazing," he murmured, enraptured in studying the fine red paint that beamed in the low sunlight, just like he last remembered it. He glanced over to his little brother, who gave him a small smile. "I thought—for _sure_ she was wrecked, after… y'know."

Tails shrugged. "She's in pretty good condition. Perfect for flying."

Sonic's grin widened even more, as if that were possible. He turned back to the Tornado and patted its side like it was an old friend. "Cool. So let's figure out the plan."

Not too far away, Shadow held an emerald up, studying it absently. "I'll take a team of volunteers to the Chemical Plant to retrieve one of the Chaos Emeralds." He glanced up to scan the small crowd around him. "Preferably those who can be quiet, because we don't need to attract any attention to ourselves while we're there."

"I'll go," Amy said, her expression blank and dreary, like she was trying to wall off her feelings. Sonic frowned at the sight, but he could understand where she was coming from. Shortly after she volunteered, so did Antoine and Gadget.

Sonic glanced back to the Tornado. "I'm definitely taking this puppy wherever she's going."

"I was probably gonna fly it to Soleanna since it's the closest of all the locations," Tails said. "That way everyone else who wants to get the remaining emeralds that aren't in Eggman's possession can use the other one to easily warp there."

Vector cracked a toothy grin and bobbed his head. "I'll go with you two." There was a heavy beat that lingered after his words and settled uneasily with the others, because they all knew he felt somewhat down after everything with Espio—and Rouge, for that matter. Both of them were forced to sit this mission out and recover from their injuries from the city.

Bunnie nodded. "Me too."

"And I'll lead everyone else to Chun-nan, Red Mountain, and Seaside Hill with the other emerald," Silver said. "Hopefully we won't run into any badniks there."

"That'll be good," Shadow agreed. "Your powers will be useful for scavenging."

Anxious to go, Sonic was already hopping up to perch on the Tornado's wing. He reveled in its steady feel beneath his feet, grounding him. If he closed his eyes it was almost like he was just a kid again, about to fly her for the first time.

He sat down to swing his legs over the edge of the wing, and almost didn't notice a hand curl around his own. Shadow stood beside him, staring up at him intently.

"Be safe," he told him, simply, and Sonic smiled at him.

"Same to you, Faker," he jibed back, relishing in Shadow's eye roll.

Nonetheless, Shadow squeezed his hand and brought it to his lips to press a gentle kiss to his knuckles, ever the gentleman. Sonic rolled his eyes right back but his heart fluttered in his chest anyways, and he reciprocated the intimacy with a hand squeeze of his own.

Tails and Vector climbed into the pilot's and passenger's seats respectively, and Bunnie fired up the rocket boosters built into the bottoms of her cybernetic feet. Shadow parted from his fiancé to congregate with Amy, Antoine, and Gadget, wielding his emerald.

"Good luck, guys!" Sonic hollered over to them, just as the Tornado's engine fired to life and swallowed all of their voices. He earned some headstrong nods in response, before everybody warped away with their emeralds and his team was left alone, as the Tornado started mulling forward into liftoff.

Soon enough, Knothole's shore was nothing but a speck in the distance, and they were lost in a vast swath of pink clouds and endless navy skies.

* * *

The contrast between the warm serenity of Knothole and the smog-filled, dank Chemical Plant was palpable. Once the flash of Chaos energy died down and the four were able to drink in their surroundings again, they were all overwhelmed with how heavy and sour the air tasted as it ran down their throats, settling wrongly in their lungs. Shadow blinked a few times to adjust his vision to the sudden drop in lighting, wetting his lips.

Turning to the others, he saw Amy wheeze for a moment on the poisoned air, and Antoine struggle through a few staggered breaths before becoming as used to the disgusting atmosphere as one could.

Gadget, on the other hand, reacted much more radically. He initially seemed disoriented from the teleportation, barely exposed—if at all—to Chaos energy. He lost his footing and spun around dizzily, squeezing his eyes shut. And then he began to cough violently as a result of breathing in too much air from the adrenaline coursing through his veins, hugging his chest as he choked on the chemicals wafting around.

Panic spiked in Shadow's gut and he rushed forward, grabbing the wolf's shoulder to stabilize him and clamping a hand over his mouth to suppress his coughs. Gadget looked at him with shiny eyes.

"We need to be quiet," Shadow hissed, and he was scowling but it wasn't because of Gadget, it was more so a general contempt directed at the empire. "The Chemical Plant is one of the doctor's most powerful institutions; it's been running since before the war and nobody has been able to successfully take it down. It's swarmed with badniks and their constantly expanding it."

Amy wrinkled her nose. "It's horrible. The amount of fumes and carbon emissions is just—it's so horrible."

Gadget pulled away from Shadow as soon as his shoulders weren't shaking anymore from his violent coughing fit, and he cleared his throat. "Should we have brought more people then? If this place is so dangerous?"

Shadow shook his head. "We're not here to fight, we're here for the emerald. If we're careful, the badniks shouldn't be an issue." He paused, then muttered, more to himself than anything, "Although it would be smart for the resistance to take this place down for good, someday. The majority of the doctor's supplies come from here."

The group began ambling across the metal grating of the platform until they reach the edge. Over the hazard-yellow railing was a sea of murky purples and greens down below, goopy and bubbling and sizzling. Gadget frowned and glanced around, clearly put off from the disturbing sight—whether it was the height or the pollutants, he couldn't say, though.

"Uh, so where _is_ the emerald, then?"

Shadow turned to lean against the railing, crossing his arms. "Tails took the emerald tracker, so we'll have to rely on our instincts. Rose, you can help me with that."

"Why don't we split up?" Amy suggested. "This place is huge from what I've heard, anyways. We'll cover more ground faster that way."

"Oh, I have this, uh…" Gadget fiddled with some strange metal cuff on his wrist, sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. "It's a grappling hook. Tails made it for me. I can probably reach a higher vantage point with it."

Shadow nodded. "Rose, you go with him, then." He turned to Antoine, looking him up and down, because really didn't know these people that well aside from Amy. "You and I will stay low. There are several outpost stations, so maybe one of them will have information on the emerald."

Just then, as Gadget continued to fight the foreign technology, it finally seemed to work as a black rope catapulted straight out from his palm, firing hundreds of meters away before hooking onto a communications tower in the distance. He wavered in some sort of surprise for a moment, before holding out a hand for Amy. She reluctantly grabbed on before the two were flying through the smoky air like rockets.

Admittedly, Shadow felt somewhat guilty for pairing Amy up with Gadget. He could sense the rupture between them, the rumbling tension from when Gadget made that announcement at the meeting about Infinite. He knew she was still upset over Knuckles.

But desperate times called for desperate measures. The two strongest Chaos users of the party definitely needed to split up for the most efficient search, and it was best if Shadow stayed low because his experience from G.U.N. made him the best candidate in the case that they found a computer in one of the outposts that needed to be hacked into. So, there really wasn't any other choice.

Sonic would probably say it would be a good bonding exercise for the two, anyways, so Shadow decided he would go with that, too.

"Where to?" Antoine asked, pulling Shadow out of his thoughts.

The agent pondered, briefly, as he studied their immediate surroundings. The island of steel they were standing on was relatively isolated from other platforms, walled in on two sides, although he did notice a peculiar metal cylinder on the ground, with a diameter about five feet wide and almost as tall as himself. Shadow pointed to it, vaguely recalling what it probably was, based on stories Sonic had told him and the distant memory of visiting this place years ago.

"Through there."

He ran forwards and leapt into the air, homing into it with his spines fully erect. The metal shattered easily from the impact and Shadow found himself falling into a transparent plastic tube beneath it. He slid down for a while, catching glimpses of toxic sludge and bright blue and yellow scaffolding outside, but he was going too fast to get a good look. The tube spun around haphazardly and turned sharply when he least expected it, but he could imagine his fiancé and little brother having a blast in these things, back when they were just kids.

Finally, he was deposited onto a much smaller landing that overlooked a hidden section of the Chemical Plant. There was a small building right in the center, surrounding by patrolling badniks and glowing with the dim light of what must have been computers inside. _Jackpot._

Shadow stepped away from the tube to peer over the balcony. He was a good ten feet above the outpost and robots, which meant they had yet to notice him. If he could just—

There was a muffled yelp behind him, before Antoine came tumbling out of the tube unceremoniously. He scrambled to his feet as soon as he regained his balance, looking flustered.

"That was not pleasant _at all._ "

Shadow widened his eyes and shook his head vigorously, pressing a finger to his lips and gesturing to below—the universal signal for _shut up, not now._ The coyote paused before catching on, sealing his lips and jogging over to crouch beside him.

They watched the robots stalk around the small building for a while—which couldn't really be much larger than a camper. There were maybe three Egg Pawns circling around it, and there were possibly more inside, but again, it was rather small.

Antoine, seeming anxious, reached for his sword, strapped to his belt. Shadow eyed him uncertainly, before glancing back at the bots and then stopping him from withdrawing it.

The other man threw him a confused look. Shadow squared his jaw. "We can't afford to be messy here."

He received a mildly frustrated look, but Antoine abided regardless and tucked the sword back into place, gripping the edge of the balcony as he keenly studied each badnik. "What do you suggest we do, then?" he whispered.

"Just," Shadow huffed, pulling his emerald out from his quills, "let me deal with it."

If Antoine objected, he didn't notice, because he'd already warped down to the robots before he could hear it. He knocked the first one in the back of the head, lunged at the second before it could react, and then spindashed through the third just as it rounded the corner and caught sight of him.

He untucked from his ball and peered up at his comrade, whose eyes he saw peering just over the edge, wide in bewilderment. He beckoned for him to come down, and he did so, hesitantly.

"Help me take care of these," Shadow told him, as he started hefting up one of the dead bots by its bulky shoulders. Antoine swallowed thickly and grabbed its legs, and they walked it over to the edge of the platform, heaving it down below into the abyss of chemicals.

They did the same with the other two before making their way to the door of the outpost. There were only a few windows, tinted too darkly to see anything inside other than the silhouettes of more Egg Pawns and the fuzzy glows of computer screens. The door was solid steel, as was the rest of the building, and there was a code that needed to be entered into the keypad to open it. Shadow sighed.

"I guess we're doing this the old fashioned way."

He summoned some energy from the emerald to the palms of his hands and gripped the edge of the door. Power surging through his arms, he pried it open like it was nothing. He ignored the way Antoine watched him with a burning intensity.

The two badniks inside instantly turned their heads to the intruders, and Shadow was quick to tackle the first as soon as they did. He heard Antoine yank out his sword and slash through the other one, while Shadow punched in the metal skull of the first.

They both released a simultaneous breath, and Shadow stood up and turned to the computer console before him. The various monitors were filled with a accumulation of data transcripts and messages between other bases around the world and catalogues of shipments, and it took a moment for him to fixate on it from the overwhelming amount of information displayed.

Antoine sheathed his sword and Shadow started scrolling through the pages, particularly regarding the goods stockpile in the Chemical Plant and the list of shipments.

"I think I _dealt_ with _that_ perfectly well," the coyote muttered, from over Shadow's shoulder, a little indignantly.

Shadow failed to hide the smirk that spread across his face.

* * *

The flight to Soleanna was breathtaking. Sonic basked in the feeling of liberation, that familiar, feathery sensation in his chest that felt like he was running through the loop-de-loops in Green Hill. The skies were clear and pale and the winds brushed his face fondly, and if he closed his eyes and let his shoulders slacken, it almost felt like he was fifteen again, just him and Tails against the world, not a worry in sight.

He turned back to his brother who was piloting the Tornado at the thought. Tails' face was set in deep concentration, his eyes quickly flipping between the emerald tracker and the controls on the dashboard and their surroundings. He looked preoccupied. He looked—old, too old, and it had only been a couple of months since Sonic had last seen him.

It was hard to imagine that _Tails_ was almost fifteen, now. That was around the age Sonic became world renowned as a hero. Some of his fondest memories stemmed from those years, when he was free to go where he pleased, do what he wanted, without responsibility. He did what he loved—helping people—and he was universally praised for it. There were some tough spots, sure, but he'd been having the time of his life.

Tails looked—less so. There were bags under his eyes, and he was always so quiet now. Always deep in thought, snapping at the wrong moments, slinking further down into his chair. It felt… wrong. Just over six months ago, before Infinite and this whole mess, Tails had been his same old self. Sonic would sometimes forget he was already well into his teenage years because he still felt like his ten-year-old little brother.

When he looked at Tails, now, he looked tired. Like—like someone who lost the most important person in their life right before their eyes, and had to grow up too fast, too soon.

 _Chaos._ He was _absolutely_ taking him out for some chilidogs once this was over.

(Because it would be over, soon. It had to. Sonic didn't know if he could take this much longer.)

"We're lookin' for a desert, right?!" Bunnie hollered over the fierce winds. She was flying beside the plane thanks to the trusty rockets attached to the bottoms of her feet, squinting ahead. "'Cause I think I finally see it!"

Tails glanced up and looked at where the rabbit pointed, nodding. "The tracker is acting up more. We're definitely getting close!"

"How much longer, do you think?" Vector asked.

"Not a lot. I don't think the desert is that big."

They continued their journey for another twenty minutes or so, before the tracker became so stimulated by nearby energy readings that even Sonic could hear it beeping over the combined roar of the plane engine and the winds. Tails notified Bunnie of this and they began their descent. Not too far away, Sonic noticed a sandstone structure—the only manmade object seen for miles, in the sea of beige and dust and the occasional oasis. He told this to the young pilot, so he made an effort to land close to it.

Once on solid ground, they all lingered for a few more minutes while the engine died down and they covered their faces against the clouds of sand the dwindling propeller kicked up. Sonic then hopped off the wing, stretching all of his limbs and surveying the area. He could already feel the dry heat of the afternoon burning against his bare skin.

"Chaos," Vector groaned, slipping out of his seat into the sand. "Should've brought more water."

"I've got some extra coolers in the storage compartment, if we really need it," Tails replied, absently, his eyes glued to the tablet as he slowly started towards the mysterious structure. "Shouldn't be here too long, though."

Bunnie landed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I thought this place was supposed to be swarmed with bad guys, or somethin'."

"Supposedly," Tails said. "But the real danger-zone is the _city_ of Soleanna, which is a good five miles due west. This place seems abandoned, which is lucky for us."

Sonic narrowed his eyes as he and the other two began following the fox closer and closer to the building. "Sure, but something's fishy here. An emerald is only _five miles_ away from one of Egghead's strongest bases and he _hasn't_ nabbed it yet?"

Tails pressed his lips together. "Maybe you're right. We should stay on our guard."

They trudged through the sand for only a few seconds before that ugly, sleepy feeling of boredom started settling in Sonic's bones, fogging his mind in a haze of exhaustion and annoyance. He sighed, kicked a stray rock a few feet away, then swiveled around to face the others.

"I'm gonna speed this process up. I'll meet you guys there."

And with that he sped off, the sand dunes only a slight hinderance to his sprint. He was at the front doors of the building within half of a second. The others were still lagging behind, specks on the horizon. He eyed them briefly before turning back to the more interesting thing at hand.

It was pretty damn large, with a small rectangular building the size of a small house connected to a massive stone cylinder that looked like it could pass for a miniature baseball stadium. He whistled idly, looking it up and down, before deciding to head inside because his curiosity was killing him. Also, he could definitely sense some Chaos energy inside; the emerald _had_ to be here.

Before he could, though, there was a resounding _thump_ beside him as Tails suddenly landed. Sand exploded upwards and sprayed all over Sonic's legs, and he reared away, but his brother simply threw him a sour look before heading inside first. Bunnie and Vector quickly came rocketing by not a second after with her flight ability. Sonic licked his lips, feeling somewhat bad, before following after them.

The interior of the smaller structure was almost complete dark, not a single light in the vicinity and only mere slivers cut into the walls toward the ceiling to pass as pathetic excuses for windows. The air was musty and tasted like mold as Sonic breathed it in, promptly coughing up some dust.

To the left the wall was replaced with rusty iron bars, sunlight peeking through them from the cylindrical building that lacked a roof. Tails was already by it, examining the bars and seeing if they would budge. Sonic tried to make a scene of brushing all the sand off of his shins, but when Tails didn't notice, he simply took to stepping forwards and sliding the door open, allowing them entry.

Tails looked at him for a moment, his face blank as he frowned slightly, before the four headed into the stadium.

It was something Sonic could only attribute to a coliseum. The rows of stone seats circling the arena were completely abandoned, of course, because this thing must've been hundreds of years old. It would almost be eerie—if not for the strange, distant hum of energy across the stadium, then for the fact that Sonic half expected to see skeletons arranged up in the audience. But it was also kind of cool, from an archaeological standpoint, so he concentrated on that.

Tails remained focused by the emerald tracker in his hands, dragging his feet at the speed of molasses as he treaded along the smooth stone ground. He was following a ghost trail straight across the arena, towards the other side, which was nothing more than a gigantic stone square at least thirty feet tall, possibly some sort of door. It didn't seem like it would open any time soon, though.

Sonic decided to neglect the strange grudge wedging itself between them for the time being and let his brother do what he needed to do. He announced aloud, "Okay, everyone spread out. Look for like, secret trap doors and stuff."

He received a few thumbs-up's before he started walking along the perimeter, brushing his fingers against the rounded wall. Dust collected on his fingertips as he did so. He was struck with a weird sense of déjà vu with each step he took, but he disregarded it with a shake of the head.

For a place that a Chaos Emerald was most definitely hidden in, it was suspiciously inconspicuous. Especially for a place so close to Eggman's grasp. It made his stomach churn a bit, thinking about the implications of that. Was this a trap? Or was there something else going on here?

An off-putting creak groaned throughout the entire coliseum, originating from the very square of solid stone that Tails was slowly approaching. All four of them stopped what they were doing to look at it, a blanket of unease draping over them. Even Tails snapped out of his daze, freezing in place momentarily.

And then there was nothing. The harsh desert winds continued to whistle outside and the sun continued to sear them from above. It—It was nothing. This place was old; a relic. Just settling rocks.

But of course he had to speak too soon.

The entire stadium began rumbling violently, so much so that they all stumbled and lost their footing. The massive panel that Tails now stood before began to shift, rising up from some unseen mechanism that pulled it. Clouds of dust rolled out from the movement, masking the entire ground level of the arena, and once the door was finally pulled completely up they all found themselves staring into an empty black chasm. Tails took a few steps back, jittery.

"Hey, bud, you okay?!" Sonic called over, but it wasn't acknowledged because a much greater threat quickly emerged.

A giant fucking _robot dog_ stepped into the light, over twenty feet tall, with a bulky, black body and limbs, and highlights of carmine hues. It's snout was long, steel fangs just barely peaking out, its paws twice the size of Sonic and hooked with dangerous claws on each toe. It lurched forwards mechanically, each step like an earthquake, swiveling its head around curiously.

Then a static noise filled the area, crackling to life like a begrudging awakening from a deep slumber, erupting from speakers somewhere on the metal behemoth's head. The voice that spoke to them sent a spear of disgust through Sonic's chest.

 _"Well, well, well,"_ Eggman snarled. _"Look what the cat dragged in—or should I say, dog? I should've known you pests would find this place soon enough."_

"We're not here for games, Eggbreath!" Sonic retorted, crossing his arms. He looked around for any cameras they could be being watched through, but after finding nothing, he resorted to glaring at the colossal badnik.

Eggman, wherever he was, chortled. _"That's too bad, because I really wanted to show off my new toy. Allow me to…_ reintroduce _you to an old friend: the Egg Cerberus! It's stronger, faster, and better than ever—and it's the last thing you'll see in this pitiful life of yours!"_

Sonic frowned, because that didn't make any sense, he'd never seen this thing in his life, but then the speakers cut out like Eggman had already lost interest, simply tossing his mutt some meat scraps before shutting it away in its kennel. He clicked his tongue in disdain, getting into a battle-ready stance as he waited for the Egg Cerberus to make its move.

It did nothing for a few seconds, which was even more disconcerting, until it crouched down like it was ready to pounce.

And then it charged directly towards Tails, who was still frozen right in front of it.

* * *

 **a lot is happening! knux isn't faring too well, tails and gadget kinda made amends but now tensions r rising Even More between sonic and tails oh no :( also thats right baby the egg cerberus is here. buckle up for some intense stuff next chapter. (i do wanna note tho: all the deva vu stuff & the 06 references are nothing more than references and easter eggs. i dont intend to rope that whole shitshow of a narrative into this universe, sorry haha)**

 **hhhhhhhnnrgngnggg so hopefully i can resume monthly-ish updates now? idk we'll see. leave sum feedback or give a follow/fav if u enjoyed :)**


	18. endure

**hrjsgkdg idk how but i managed to grind this baby out in the middle of december, or what i like to call _exam hell._ my goal was to get this one out b4 xmas, i just wasn't expecting to do that b4 winter break even started, but lo and behold, here we are !? (i rly need to be studying for a quiz i have tmrw but oh well hah)**

 **uhh ig warning for a little more swearing than usual in this chapter? bc it's tense. everyone is stressed out. absolutely Nobody is vibing in this one. hahaha have fun :)**

* * *

 **XVIII.**

 _endure (inˈd(y)o͝or)_

 _[verb]_

 _to hold out against._

* * *

They reached the summit of a large, gray crane, long abandoned and dangling over a sea of murky greens and sickly purples gurgling below. As precarious as it seemed, it provided a decent vantage point over most of the surrounding area. Gadget swallowed a thick knot clogging his throat, suddenly feeling a little more jumpy now that he had a better idea of how big the Chemical Plant really was.

Something made a buzzing noise to his side, and he looked down to see the Amy's wrist communicator ringing. She was hasty let go of him so she could answer, immediately averting eye contact and swiveling away from him to study their surroundings.

"Shadow?" she answered, holding her wrist up to her mouth. "What's going on?"

" _We found a small outpost that may be of use,_ " he replied. " _It'll take us some time to hack into the consoles, but it's bound to contain information. Just hold tight._ "

"Got it."

She then sat down at the edge of the crane, dangling her feet over the edge and staring off into the distance. Gadget felt anxiety scratch up his chest at the sight of her so close to falling to her doom, but she seemed completely unbothered. Hesitantly, he approached and sat beside her, keeping his knees drawn up to his chin and hugging them close.

An uncomfortable silence slithered between them. He managed the occasional glance her way but felt too awful to maintain it longer than a split second at a time. There was a corporeal sense of revulsion wafting from her and he could hardly stand it.

Not that he blamed her. Really, she had every right to hate him. His own boyfriend was the cause of all their problems, and he had nothing to make up for it. Infinite sparked the war, tortured her friend for months, destroyed their HQ, and now—now he's gone and kidnapped her boyfriend (or at least, he assumed they were dating).

Amy's eyes seemed so bright and beautiful, but when Gadget found himself staring into them longer, the more he noticed how scalding and dark they were—filled with an immeasurably deep grief.

He sighed, biting his lip. "… Uh, look. I'm—I'm really sorry about Knuckles."

Surprisingly enough, that drew her attention to him, but not in the way he'd anticipated. She blinked, as though stirred from her thoughts, and stared at him intensely, indecipherably, almost confusedly. "Oh."

Gadget hugged himself tighter, his gaze falling to the pit of chemicals down below because he couldn't bare to meet her eyes. "I just—Zero was a great guy before all of this, I swear. I mean, if he was always some insane tyrant, I don't think I would've started seeing him in the first place, you know?"

He gritted his teeth together. That—fuck, that sounded bad, _why was he so bad at talking?_

Sucking in a sharp breath, he nervously continued, anyways. "Um… I—really, I'm so sorry. About Knuckles, everything, I don't know. You don't deserve to go through any of this, and if I'd known how to stop Zero before—before _whatever_ this is, I _would've,_ in a heartbeat. It's just, the Zero I knew would never have hurt so many people like Infinite has. And—I mean, I guess I just hope you don't blame me too… But I also totally get it if you do. I'm not trying to like, guilt you or anything, I just—I—"

A hand gripped his shoulder, and he looked up at Amy, startled. Her eyes were wide and critical and a little teary. "Gadget—"

Her communicator buzzed again. They both faltered, dazed, before she broke their shared gaze and lifted her wrist again to speak into it.

"Hello?"

" _It's me,_ " Shadow said. " _We got into the terminal. The doctor is eventually planning to ship the emerald out of the north sector of the plant, but it's still here, so we still have time. I don't know when it's planned to leave. Head towards outpost F—we'll meet you there._ "

Both mobians righted themselves, scanning the horizon of dark structures and half-completed platforms. Gadget squinted, reading along the signs in the distance that were just barely legible.

Eventually he pointed to an area straight ahead, a little to the right. "There. I see an 'F.'"

Amy nodded, and spoke into the comm, "Alright, we found it. See you soon."

Gadget grabbed her hand and in seconds they were soaring through the air again.

* * *

He found himself, upon being thrust before Chaos, to be rendered speechless.

It was in pain, that much he could tell. It was trapped in the heart of this large, dark room within a cylindrical cage of electricity, its diameter no wider than five feet. Chaos was plastered to the walls, sloshing around like a raging sea storm reduced to a gigantic glass of water. Each of its roars shook the entire structure, wherever they were. Knuckles still had no clue, just that it was filled with a lot of gray chambers and long, dark corridors.

There were electrodes and wires hooked up to the base of its strange 'test tube,' which ran over to a large, unnatural machine at one side of the room. It was a block of obsidian, with blinking red lights and a rumbling engine; it shimmered in the low lighting unnaturally. He didn't know what the hell it was supposed to be, but it was clearly the source of agony for Chaos.

"Okay," he snarled. "First off, turn that thing the hell off. Don't think you can contain a god in a kennel."

Infinite simply stared with his dark stare, right beside Chaos, perfectly content, his hands held behind his back. He scoffed humorlessly. "That would disrupt our research, I'm afraid. Try again."

Knuckles clenched his fists. "Your research won't matter if Chaos _kills us all._ "

When he looked back up at it, a shimmer of red rippled across its form. Shards of it drifted around in the blue, nearly hidden in how violently its currents flowed in such a small space. The brain membrane that floated closer to the top was sick with clumps of crimson as well, and nasty red veins that bulged from its crevices. Its roar was distorted and wrong.

The tyrant eyed it curiously. "I'm very interested to see the final reaction, once I've fully bonded Chaos with the Ruby's power. Aren't you, echidna?"

"You—" He stomped towards Infinite, a fire in his step and a smoldering heat in his chest, but he stopped himself. The jackal immediately turned to look back at him, danger glinting in his golden eye. Something shifted behind him, and when Knuckles looked over his shoulder he caught sight of Metal lurking in the shadows, looking significantly more upgraded than the last time he saw it.

Knuckles was not bound by anything. If he wanted, he could march right up to Infinite and split his mask into two. He could snap Metal in half like a twig. He could break that twisted machine to bits. He could even track down Eggman, because he knew that bastard was here, somewhere.

But—no, he couldn't. Everything was at risk. He didn't know the extent of the leverage they held over him. He didn't know how to get out of this place, or where it was located. And, surely, he'd be overpowered by both Infinite and Metal—as much as he hated to admit it.

For now, he needed to take advantage of the situation at hand. The others would find him eventually; in the meantime, Knuckles was an inside source. He could gather important intel and make sure Chaos stayed safe until they could figure out a rescue and recovery plan.

Carefully, he crossed his arms. "… Let me speak to it, then."

"And why should I let you do that, hm?"

"Because I'm not stupid," the guardian seethed. He did his best to keep calm and imagine Amy, here, by his side. Reminding him of the very same breathing exercises he taught her, because she liked to be like that, all intelligent and too good for him; he missed that so badly. "Chaos trusts me. I can try to calm it down, at least for a little while. At this rate it's gonna implode."

Infinite looked him up and down, before stepping aside. "Very well."

Knuckles took a deep breath, and approached the crying god. It took no notice to him, too occupied with fruitlessly trying to escape. He sat crisscross right in front of it, only cut off by a thin wall of surging energy that'd probably burn his hand to a crisp if he tried touching it. He held his palm up to it, and looked to Infinite expectantly.

After being cast an agitated glance, the jackal left, and then returned with a bright red power ring. Infinite clipped it onto his wrist.

"It will grant you some immunity to it," he explained, as he backed up again.

Knuckles eyed the ring strangely, and then pressed his palm to the energy. It thrummed against his hand. Tentatively, he pushed more, and his hand phased right through like it was merely a projection. Instantly, his glove was soaked, submerged in Chaos. He blew out a puff of air and closed his eyes, concentrating, just like all his past meditations.

Deep within some distant scene of the Special Zone, which he could only catch a glimpse of if he thought about it hard enough, he could sense Chaos' presence. He pressed against it, asking for entry. For trust. It obliged, reluctantly, and he was subsequently pulled into its raging despair, its all-consuming pain. The agony of being ripped away from the Master Emerald, and tossed around like a toy. The infection of the Phantom Ruby, creeping all over its walls, breaking it down, erasing the peace within. Consuming it.

 _Please,_ he called to it. _Please, just hold on a little longer. I can help you, I promise, but not now. Not yet. It isn't the right time._

Chaos strained. It flexed against its shackles and howled into the darkness. They were both deeply unnerved by the red that spread across everything like a viral disease, a parasite. They both cowered in its horrible presence, which was ceaseless and lethal.

Knuckles considered, for a moment, what would happen—if _it_ succeeded. If _it_ took over Chaos. How easily _it_ would continue, then, to spread. To swallow the entire world in anarchy and death and nothingness until the world wasn't the world anymore; only _ruby._

Tears flowed freely from his eyes, streaks of lightning that burned his paper skin.

He blinked, and Chaos swooped over him like a tidal wave, curling around his limbs to keep him safe, keep him away, but he felt the Ruby embedded in each strand of being that composed Chaos; written into the coding of all the energy in the world. Because that was what Chaos was. It encompassed everything, even in this solitary form it took. Even caged in electricity, it was everywhere, a constant, just as oxygen or gravity was. And the Ruby was spreading. It would continue to do so, until there was nothing more to spread to.

He closed his eyes, feeling the water drip over him, everything turning to red. Everything cold. He was doused in wrath; it soaked him to the bone.

And then he opened his eyes, and there was one more—stronger than him. Stronger than it; them. He watched them, like through an old film, kneel down, and cry. Too strong, too feeble, too tired to carry the burden.

He whispered, _"I trust you,"_ and hoped they would listen.

—A hand gripped his shoulder and yanked him back, and Knuckles fell against the cold, hard ground. There was a band of red around his wrist. The room was dark. Chaos thrashed against his cage, not two feet away from him.

Knuckles exhaled. Memories pieced themselves together, and he was back—back in his prison.

Chaos let out a low moan, and its emerald eyes flickered red only fleetingly, before they sunk low and its thrashing relaxed considerably.

"Good job," a new voice commended, and it made him tense up instinctively. _Eggman._

Infinite leaned down and snatched the red ring off Knuckles' wrist. The only key to Chaos, stolen. "Yes. We need to be careful not to permit him too much time. Who knows what he'll do."

Eggman nodded, from across the room. "Indeed, I have learned not to place too much faith into these rodents."

"But you are appeased, for now," Infinite continued. Knuckles lingered on the floor, dizzied and his vision blurred, his mind mush from his muddled conversation with Chaos. He closed his eyes, but their piercing, awful voices persisted anyways. He was too weak to cover his ears. "No worries of Chaos breaking out."

"Of course," Eggman said. "No Chaos, no research. No research, no success."

"But if we cannot push its limits, we'll never make progress," Infinite insisted.

"We _are_ making progress. I know what I'm doing, mutt."

"Oh, do you? Because we've been doing a whole lot of fucking around lately, and not a whole lot of work. We've barely introduced the Ruby to it. We haven't seen what it can truly do."

"Do you realize how dangerous that will be? Its influence is already spreading nicely. Giving it more could be detrimental to our plans. We still need to be able to control Chaos."

"Who cares about _control_ when its doing what we want, anyways?! Either way the thing will unleash havoc. The more power, the merrier."

"You don't even know what you're talking about. You've never witnessed Chaos, not like I have. You don't know what it's capable of."

"It's certainly not capable of escaping. Especially now that that meddling echidna has placated it—surely that will slow the Ruby's effect on it significantly."

"I just need some more time to fiddle with the stimulant. It needs to be just right, or else Chaos will be a wild animal. And then its useless to us. Then we have no control."

"Fuck this. Fuck you. I'm—" a bitter gasp of air, "—the echidna is passed out. I'm taking him back to his goddamn cell."

"Fine then. I'll be busy; not like you'd know what that means."

"Don't test me, Ivo."

Claws dug into his shoulders, large and serrated, and he felt himself being dragged along the floor. Chaos grew further and further, and he attempted to get away, but he could hardly move his muscles. Whatever it was that he went through in the Special Zone, his body couldn't handle it. He barely understood what he could remember from it.

Within a few minutes, the dragging ended, and he was roughly thrown forward. The sound of a lock clicked behind him, but he was too exhausted to roll onto his side and look. As soon as he was resealed in his own cell, all white noise instantly fell silent, and the constant hum of energy all around him fled the atmosphere, leaving him all alone. There was next to no Chaos energy in this cell at all, and it was suffocating. They were going to kill him.

He heard Infinite sigh harshly.

"Enjoy your beauty sleep, echidna," he sneered, and his voice was low enough that he seemed to believe he was only truly talking to himself. "I'm not quite done with you yet. And the doctor—I'm almost done with him, the fool. He is unbearable, but once… Once it's ready, he shouldn't be an issue anymore. None of you pests will be."

Then he heard the jackal leave, and as exhausted as Knuckles was, he couldn't fall asleep after that.

* * *

He heard the words "Egg Cerberus," and got completely off track.

It was strange, Tails thought, standing not fifteen feet from this massive robot dog that loomed over him—in mythology, the Cerberus was known to have three heads. So why would Eggman design this thing with only one? It was a huge design flaw, in Tails' eyes. Sometimes, he mused, absently, he figured _he_ would make a better villain.

"Tails!"

He blinked, coldness tumbling over him in a sudden, frightening wave. The Cerberus was moving, now, surging towards him and it wasn't the fastest but it was large enough that it would flatten him in two more large strides beneath its titanium paws. And it was stupid, but he froze up, a deer in headlights, with nothing to do but squeeze the tablet in his hands a little tighter and close his eyes.

Something strong wrapped around his torso and he was dragged out of the way, a good several meters out of the dog's trajectory. Whatever had grabbed him continued to hold him, even out of harm's way, a cradle of safety.

He exhaled shakily, regaining himself, and tilted his head up to see who it was: Sonic. His brother's eyes were wide and glossy, staring directly at him, and irritatingly, he kept hugging him protectively. Tails looked at him for a moment, and then shrugged away from his hold.

"Chaos," Sonic breathed, looking even more shaken than Tails probably did. "Are you-? That was close, are you alright?"

He licked his lips, which felt terribly dry. The desert heat, most likely. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Those hard emerald eyes wouldn't leave him. "You sure? That thing is…" The hedgehog finally shifted his gaze to look past Tails, and when he turned to look too, he saw the Cerberus skidding to a halt before it crashed into the opposite end of the coliseum. It was big enough that its motion seemed severely limited by the stadium, which was good; they could use that to their advantage. "That thing is _big._ "

Bunnie was already soaring through the air, sending blasts of blue energy from her robotic arm. They seemed fruitless, though, merely dissolving into stardust once they made contact with the giant mech.

Tails squared his jaw and began twirling his namesakes. Promptly, he swapped out the emerald tracker for his electric Wispon. "It's gotta have a weakness, we just need to figure out what it is."

The Egg Cerberus spun around to face him and Sonic again, from across the coliseum. A large turret sprouted from its back and produced a pillar of flames that crashed against the wall, and it began twirling rapidly, creating a ceiling of fire that blocked them off from Bunnie, who was still further up above. Vector leapt out of the way as it stomped its paw at him for getting too close, and started jogging towards the duo.

"Hey!" he called out. "You two got a plan for this?!"

"Uh, working on it," Tails responded unsurely.

Sonic grinned that dumb, cocky grin he always got, and crouched low to the ground. "I got one: beat the shit outta it!"

The disc of flames up above finally ceased, and the Cerberus jogged closer to the center of the stadium. In unison, Sonic charged forwards as well. The only other objects down in the pit with them were a small array of stone pillars, arranged along the border a little disorderly. Sonic used them to leap into the air and bounce off of for extra momentum.

He homed directly towards the bot's face in a violent sawblade of blue, and nearly made contact, not ten feet away from it, before a transparent red shield materialized around the Egg Cerberus in a massive dome. Sonic collided into it and was thrown back, stumbling to his feet when he hit the ground. He scowled, dusting his shoulders.

Tails clenched his fists and started towards it as well. "Everyone charge! We can overwhelm it!"

He flicked his wrist once he got close enough, and the Wispon in his hand activated, sending out a long whip of crackling gold. It snagged around the Cerberus' ankle—which he suspected only managed to break through the shield because it wasn't really a corporeal whip, being made of pure electricity—and it let out a mighty, metallic howl.

Vector somehow managed to yank one of the pillars from its foundations, making a beeline towards the mutt with it cradled in his arms like a colossal baseball bat. He swung it down, and it didn't quite break through the shield, but definitely did some damage to it. Bunnie attempted some larger blasts which also seemed to fair a bit better, and Sonic continued charging at it head on.

After a few minutes Sonic hopped back to gain some space. "Oh come _on._ Is this thing invincible? Not a very fair fight if you ask me, Egghead!"

There was no response from the mad doctor, which Tails wasn't particularly surprised by, because he'd probably just wanted to get in those first few lines over the intercom before leaving the Egg Cerberus to deal with them. But then Vector finally smashed his crumbling pillar hard enough against the shield, and the projection of red flickered dangerously.

Sonic wasted no time in seizing the opening. He sped past Tails in a blur and pounced onto Vector's pillar, before leaping through the hole he'd made. Once inside, the hedgehog revved up into a spindash, making for the Cerberus' other front foot that Tails didn't have the Wispon wrapped around. He began digging into its calf and it reacted, grumbling discordantly and recoiling.

But then it lifted its paw and batted Sonic away like he was an insignificant flea. The shield dematerialized and he was sent flying across the stadium before slamming into one of the pillars and falling to the ground.

Tails' heart leapt into his throat. He instantly relinquished the Wispon and bolted over to his brother's side. When he reached him, Sonic was on one knee, his face clearly strained but stuck in a stubborn frown, anyways, as he tried pulling himself to his feet.

Instinctively, he grabbed his arm. "Chaos, you need to be more careful!"

Sonic scoffed half-heartedly, throwing him a tired, way-too-overconfident look. "Yeah, I should say the same to you."

He frowned, a snappy heat bubbling up in his chest. "I'm serious. You're already—hurt enough as it is. Maybe chill out a bit for this fight; we can handle this."

That quickly shifted the mood. Sonic's grin fell, and he pulled his arm away from the kit's grasp, looking mildly offended. "What? Tails, I can handle myself."

"I—" there was a thickness in his throat, rushing up his face and pressing against his eyes; he blinked rapidly and tried to swallow to get it to go away, because now wasn't the time, he shouldn't have been getting into this, "—I _know,_ just—you can get really reckless. I need you to… be more careful."

The speedster smiled again, though it was uncertain. He crossed his arms, cocking his head. "Uh, okay? Listen, bud, don't worry about me. I can handle myself. Plus I've got you, right? You've always got my back."

Tails felt all the air get sucked out of him. A burning sensation pricked the corners of his eyes, and this was so silly, he needed to focus instead of worrying so much, but he just—he couldn't stop thinking, thinking, thinking, about the junkyard and Infinite and not being—not being _good enough—_

A hand gripped his shoulder. Startled, he jumped a little. Sonic. Sonic was here, in front of him, giving him a strange, concerned look. "Right, buddy?"

The weight of the Wispon pulled down at his hand; sweat clung to his fur, because it was hot out, they were in the desert. Because they were in the middle of a fight, which they really needed to rejoin, right now. Tails inhaled deeply, and with it, all those heavy, thick emotions were shoved back down too; he needed to get it all out eventually, probably, just—now wasn't a good time. He needed to focus right now.

"… Right."

Sonic smiled, looking significantly alleviated, and opened his mouth to say something else before he was cut off by another roar that tore across the coliseum from the Cerberus.

"Hey!" Bunnie shouted, from up above. "Enough chit-chat. Y'all mind lending a hand?!"

"Yep!" the hedgehog replied. "We're on it! Just getting a game plan!"

Although his attention was now completely shifted back to the fight, Tails felt him squeeze his shoulder one last time in reassurance, before blasting off back to the enemy at hand. He wavered, took a deep breath, and followed suit.

* * *

They arrived at a small loading bay at the outskirts of the Chemical Plant.

Amy felt some of the pressure leave her chest now that they'd found it, and they'd definitely found it, because she could sense Chaos energy poignantly in the air; wherever the emerald was, it was somewhere in the immediate vicinity. She figured even a non-user would be able to sense it from here.

There were some train tracks that led in from a bridge outside, stopping not fifty feet within the interior of the loading dock platform. A cargo train was parked in the designated area, with about ten or fifteen yellow railroad cars attached to the engine, which was up by the entrance of the dock. There was a control panel beside the tracks which likely operated the train, and there was a multitude of badniks milling around, loading things in and out of the cars; a suspicious congregation was crowded around the caboose, and Amy felt like she could pinpoint the source of the Chaos energy from there as well.

Gadget nudged her shoulder to gain her attention, and when she looked to him, he motioned for her to follow. They slunk through the darkness until reaching a pile of crates, where Shadow and Antoine were hiding.

The ebony hedgehog studied her, then glanced to the same caboose she'd been eyeing. "It must be in there," he muttered, quiet enough to not draw attention.

"How are we supposed to get over there and open it without being detected, though?" she asked. After a few minutes, some of the badniks began to disperse, although two lingered behind, standing guard at its doors.

Antoine narrowed his eyes. "Can't Shadow simply use that trickery he used earlier to break in?"

Amy threw him a look of confusion, so Shadow filled in, "I summoned a very small dose of energy to my hands, so I could pry open a door."

"That's fine, but we need to deal with _those_ without attracting more trouble," Gadget said, gesturing to the Egg Pawns.

Summoning her Piko Hammer, Amy gripped it tight and started forwards. "I've got it."

Concurrently, Antoine drew his blade, and the pair darted towards the robots, smashing and slashing them to pulps, all fairly silently. Amy was admittedly a little prideful; stealth wasn't usually her thing, but she could make do.

Once they signaled to the other two that the coast was clear, Shadow nudged Gadget and they followed suit, using the caboose as cover.

"Alright," the agent began, and his palms began to glow gold with energy. "You two watch the sides—we don't want to get flanked. You," he looked to Gadget, "watch my six. If the emerald really is in here, which I'm sure it is, the car is bound to be made of tough material. This will take time."

With that, the hedgehog began working, pressing his palms to the metal and prying at the edges. The doors were sealed shut, but at least it was reacting to his pressure—they began to redden with heat, hissing as he applied more energy through his hands.

A few minutes drifted by, as Amy stiffly kept watch around the right corner, Antoine around the left. Every now and then, she'd glance over to see Shadow working with a steady concentration etched into his features, and a jittery Gadget with his back to him, Wispon at the ready. That kid… he had a lot of heart, she could tell. And it hurt, because now every time she looked at him her whole being was shaken, always frozen up because she couldn't look at him without seeing _Infinite—_ but that wasn't fair of her, she knew.

None of this was fair, really.

"Shit," came a scalding murmur, and she looked back to Shadow. He withdrew his hands, and she shifted to get a good look at the portion of the car he'd been attempting to break through. It looked warped and parts of it still hummed red, but it was mostly unaffected. "I could get through it eventually, but I'd need a lot more time. We need a faster way; whatever it's made of, it's a lot tougher than a door."

Amy rubbed her temples, and they ached sharply. "Wish you could just whip up a Chaos Blast."

"Not unless you want to alert the whole plant of our presence. And blow the entire train to pieces."

Antoine huffed, looking suspiciously at Gadget, who simply stood and looked to Shadow worriedly and crossed his arms. "What about you? You have a flamethrower, no?"

The wolf opened his mouth, and then closed it, his eyes a little wide. "I—uh. It's not the stealthiest."

"A last resort, then," Shadow concluded.

Amy thought, long and hard. What they hell were they supposed to do? Warp the entire damn train back to Knothole? "What if—"

She had no time to finish, as a blaring, grating noise cut her off. All four startled and looked over to the control panel to meet the pointed finger and screeching alarms set off by an Egg Pawn that had apparently spotted them. _Shit._

 _"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Int—"_

Panic rocketing through her bloodstream, Amy was on the bot in an instant, smashing through it with her hammer, but it was already too late. When she swiveled around she could see more badniks rushing towards them from afar, all across the Chemical Plant. The remaining nearby Egg Pawns that had been tending to the loading dock were losing their minds now, and most of them charged towards her, by the control panel.

She dodged swiftly through most of them, knocking them down and swinging their stubby orange heads off their shoulders like golf balls, but there were so many that error was only bound to occur. Two of them grabbed at her from behind and the hedgehog was caught off guard, spinning round and jabbing her elbows back to try and get them off. They all tumbled into the panel, knocking several switches and buttons in the process. It wasn't until after she finished them off that she realized how much more severely that fucked things up.

When Amy looked back over at the train, she could see Shadow and Gadget on top of the caboose, frantically trying to burn through the roof; Antoine continued slashing through badniks to keep them as far away as possible. But the engine of the train began spitting to life, puffing out steam and shifting its cogs. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

In horror, she looked back down at the panel, but it was an ensemble of meaningless controls which she had no clue in how to decipher, and now the train engine was powering to life and beginning to lurch forwards, Shadow and Gadget still on board and Antoine growing more erratic and stressed as he fended off wave after wave of badniks.

"Shadow!" she screamed, giving up on the panel because she knew she'd only fuck it up more if she tried anything, as she instead vaulted over and sprinted across the platform to the train. "Do something!"

He grit his teeth and launched a few Chaos Spears down at his feet, but it didn't seem to be effective enough. "I _can't—_ fuck, just get on!"

Amy couldn't really function properly right now from being thrown into such a manic state, so she simply obliged, launching herself at the train car and letting them reach down and pull her up. Antoine did the same before the locomotive got enough momentum and took off from the loading dock entirely.

At that point they were all swaying atop the car, the Chemical Plant left behind, and shit, they were really high up, because these train tracks were suspended over a massive canyon that was so deep the bottom was lost in a murky fog. And—And looking ahead, at where the tracks led, Amy's heart dropped to her stomach to see the tracks get abruptly cut off midway through the canyon.

The tracks weren't finished. They were still under construction. The train wasn't supposed to leave that loading dock for quite a while.

And now they were rapidly gaining speed towards a who-knew-how-many-miles-deep drop with no way of stopping.

They could warp away in an instant, yes, because Shadow was here, but then they'd have to leave the emerald sealed in the car behind, and it'd get lost in the wreckage. They needed the emerald, they couldn't—fuck. _They were so fucked._

Without wasting another second, Amy began bashing against the roof with her hammer, and Shadow assisted, and Antoine and Gadget simply stared at them both before turning to yet another issue at hand, because of course the buzz bombers were chasing them from up above now, that was _exactly_ what they needed.

Antoine looked at Gadget with a blazing fire in his eyes. "I think now would be the time for that last resort plan!" He then turned back around and began swiping at the buzz bombers that got too close with his sword.

The wolf gaped, and collected himself as much as he could, and nodded unsurely. "Y—Yeah, yes, right, okay. Everyone stand back!"

They did so, as much as they could on the small area of the train car roof, without losing their balance on the steadily accelerating thing that trembled from exertion, because these tracks weren't even finished, and the ones that were, were suspended by the most rickety, frail support beams ever created and towering over a goddamn chasm of doom.

Gadget clicked the trigger on his flamethrower and a plume of red exploded from the nozzle, engulfing a good three-foot diameter of space. He kept at it for fifteen seconds and then stopped to see the progress he made—which was next to none.

"What the _hell,_ " he cried.

Shadow clenched his jaw. "Clearly the doctor took… a _lot_ of precautions." He swallowed, then glanced back over at the train tracks ahead. They only had so long before they would reach the end, and the train was only getting faster by the second. "Okay, alright—new plan. We need to stop the train, or at least this car, from falling off."

"Yes!" Gadget exclaimed. "We just break the thing linking this car to the one in front. Who cares about the rest of the train?!"

Amy was already taking initiative, because every passing moment needed to be used to its full potential, and they couldn't stand around and panic more than they already had. She slid down the gap between the caboose and the car in front, balancing a little precariously on the thick steel coupler and using the front of the caboose for support. She began to slam her hammer against it, and reassuringly enough, it made more progress than they'd been making on breaking the actual car open.

Up atop the roof, Shadow was now aiding Antoine in fending off the buzz bombers, because they were relentless in their pursuit.

Gadget racked his brain, because this might've worked, but they needed to do _more,_ they needed to slow down. When he peered down at Amy, he feared she still wouldn't be able to break the coupler in time. He exhaled, because he needed to, because now wasn't the time to freak out. Now wasn't the time to run and hide from his problems.

"Antoine," he called, and the coyote turned to face him. "I need you to help Amy down there. Shadow can take care of himself, right?"

The hedgehog grunted in response, preoccupied with the badniks, so he took that as a _yes._

Meanwhile, Antoine did as he was told and stopped to face Gadget briefly. "What about you? What will you do?"

He looked back up ahead. They had maybe another mile or two of tracks, and luckily enough the train was fast, but not fast enough to where they couldn't retain their balance standing on top of it. He had maybe a few minutes before they reached their demise.

There was this—strange, stupid little glimmer of an idea in his head. Not fully thought through or maybe even fully logical, but his boyfriend was a physicist, a crazy, brilliant _physicist,_ and damn it all if he didn't make their dorm into a science lab with all his insane experiments; but it was fun, as much as he chastised him from it, because Zero was always fun, he always brought so much light to any room he stepped in—

"I—I—" Gadget looked down at the flame Wispon in his hand, and up to the engine of the train, several cars away. And when he squeezed his eyes shut he remembered his dream, he remembered the bleeding walls and the Egg Pawns everywhere and Zero, in the center of it all, calling his name, over and over. _Stop running, Gadget. Stop running._ "I have a plan. Trust me."

And so, Gadget ran.

* * *

 **ashfkjsg knux is still not doin good and infinite is a douche bag! egg cerberus is proving to be more troublesome than the last time that sonic (doesn't) remember! andddd train heist babey :)! hehe next chapter is gonna be wicked**

 **uhh maybe i can get it out sooner than usual too? bc as i said winter break is approaching, which hopefully means i'll have more time to write. lately school has been doing its best to break me, but aasdhsddgh im gonna make it guys i promise !**

 **pls give feedback or maybe a fav/follow, idk, live ur dreams dudes ilu guys**


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